Update: China's panda pair hits the road to United States

CHENGDU, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- A pair of giant pandas boarded an airplane in the early hours of Tuesday in southwest China for the United States, where they will settle down in the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

This is the second time this year that China has sent giant pandas to the United States.

Sent as part of a 10-year international giant panda protection cooperation program, the three-year-old pandas, Bao Li, male, and Qing Bao, female, departed their hometown in Sichuan Province, accompanied by an experienced breeder and a veterinarian to help them quickly adapt to their new environment at the American zoo, according to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP).

"This historic moment is truly one to celebrate as we embark on the next chapter of our giant panda conservation program," said Brandie Smith, John and Adrienne Mars director of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

Lu Yongbin, secretary of the CCRCGP committee of the Communist Party of China, said at the farewell ceremony that the new round of China-U.S. cooperation will "boost bilateral collaboration in endangered species and biodiversity protection" and "enhance the friendship between the Chinese and American people."