Beijing 每 China＊s giant pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei arrived safely in Sichuan province on Wednesday, China＊s panda research base said in a social media post, following an emotional goodbye from fans in Tokyo where the pair were born and raised.

Xiao Xiao ?and Lei Lei arrived at Chengdu＊s Tianfu International Airport ?on ?1 a.m. on Wednesday, a WeChat post ?by the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda showed. They reached the center in Yaan, Sichuan, at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, where they will undergo quarantine.

The twin pandas were ?born in Tokyo＊s Ueno Zoo in 2021. Their parents Shin Shin and Ri Ri returned to China in 2024.

Since the founding of the People＊s Republic of China ?in 1949, the government has used panda diplomacy to boost its international image and cement ?ties with other countries ?by gifting or loaning out pandas. The pandas are typically returned home after agreements conclude, ?and pandas ?born overseas like Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei usually go to a Chinese breeding program between the ages of two and four.

Pictures on the WeChat post showed the pandas＊ crates being unloaded from a Sichuan Airlines plane and then transported to a truck while workers in white protective suits look on.

Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei have ※continuously put up bridges ?of friendship ?between the people of China and Japan§ and ※made a positive contribution to promoting friendship between the peoples of ?the two countries,§ the research center said.

The panda＊s journey coincided with a low point in Sino-Japanese relations. In November, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Japan would respond ?militarily in the event of a Chinese attack on democratically-governed Taiwan. China, which regards Taiwan as a wayward province, reacted angrily to the comment and advised citizens against traveling to Japan.