As last three giant pandas exit Washington’s National Zoo, will US-China diplomacy retreat too?

Much earlier than expected, some of Beijing’s cutest US-based diplomats are heading home. On a “FedEx Panda Express” Boeing 777F.

A trio of giant pandas – female Mei Xiang, 25, male Tian Tian, 26, and their three-year-old cub Xiao Qi Ji – bid farewell to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington at 9am on Wednesday.