An airplane transporting giant pandas arrives at the Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., the United States, on Oct. 15, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

A pair of giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, arrived at Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, after an approximately 19-hour trans-Pacific trip from Sichuan Province in southwest China.

A dedicated "FedEx Panda Express" Boeing 777F aircraft landed at the Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C. at around 10:00 a.m. local time (1400 GMT).

The pandas were loaded onto trucks and were sent to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI). The three-year-old pandas will make their new home at the zoo, as part of a 10-year international giant panda protection cooperation program.

"Our team has worked tirelessly to prepare for the pandas' arrival, and we're thrilled to welcome Bao Li and Qing Bao to Washington, D.C.," Brandie Smith, NZCBI's John and Adrienne Mars director, said in a statement.

"I am appreciative of our Chinese colleagues for our collaborative conservation and research efforts, to FedEx for providing them with safe transportation and to our donors and members whose philanthropic contributions makes our giant panda conservation program possible," said Smith.

Bao Li, male, whose name means "treasure" and "energy" in Chinese, was born in August 2021. He shares a special bond with the zoo, as he is the son of Bao Bao and the grandson of Tian Tian and Mei Xiang -- all former residents of the zoo.

Qing Bao, female, whose name means "green" and "treasure" in Chinese, was born in September 2021.

Per standard procedure, the pandas will be quarantined in the panda house for a minimum of 30 days, according to the zoo.

This is the second time this year that China has sent giant pandas to the United States. Two giant pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, landed in California from China on June 27, and made their public debut on Aug. 9.

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