In the late 2010s and early 2020s, with China–United States relations straining, China began declining to renew panda leases for U.S. zoos.[27][28] The San Diego Zoo pandas returned to China in 2019, followed by pandas at the Memphis Zoo and National Zoo in Washington, D.C. in 2023.[29]The Memphis pandas, Ya Ya and Le Le, became a rallying point for Chinese calls to repatriate the bears after accusations of poor living conditions circulated on Chinese social media sites and the sudden death of Le Le in February 2023.
See also Panda diplomacy