Panda diplomacy: all the countries currently hosting China’s beloved ambassadors

Two giant pandas arrived in the US following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington

, continuing a decades-old tradition in which the beloved fuzzy ambassadors have become symbols of China’s ties with countries around the world.

Xi said during his US visit that the pandas would be sent as an “envoy of friendship” between the Chinese and American people.

For decades, China has used its unique giant pandas as symbols of friendship and goodwill in its relations with other countries, in a practice known as panda diplomacy

. The exchanges have often been linked to diplomatic initiatives and major trade deals.

It gained international attention in the 1970s when China sent pandas to countries including the US and Japan following major diplomatic developments, including the establishment of diplomatic relations with Japan in 1972.