(Bloomberg) -- China said two pandas are on their way to a zoo in the US, a sign relations between the nations are improving despite their differences over a range of issues including trade.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Thursday at a regular press briefing in Beijing that pandas named Yun Chuan and Xin Bao left on a chartered flight in the morning, bound for the San Diego Zoo.

The animals were part of efforts intended to show “the friendship between China and the rest of the world,” she said.

During a summit with President Joe Biden in America last year, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said more pandas would arrive in the US, comments that were part of a broader pitch to improve relations after they nosedived over issues including allegations Beijing floated a spy balloon over the US. 

The inability of both sides to renew a panda agreement at a Washington zoo had fanned speculation that China was ending its so-called panda diplomacy after similar deals expired with zoos in Atlanta, Memphis and San Diego.

Although both countries denied politics were at play, the loss of America’s pandas coincided with the worsening of ties.

Friction between China and the US is still evident in a range of areas, especially technology and Taiwan’s status. Earlier this month, Bloomberg News reported that the Biden administration is considering further restrictions on China’s access to chip technology used for artificial intelligence.

Last month, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoo said China would send a new pair of pandas to Washington by the end of the year.

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