The trend has been dubbed “punitive panda diplomacy” – with the animals becoming a bargaining chip between China’s President Xi Jinping and the rest of the world. Deals with zoos that have the animals on loan are expiring and no agreements have been made to replace them.

After several Chinese pandas were taken from Washington, D.C., earlier this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled that more of the furry creatures, who he called "envoys of friendship," will come to the U.

The curtain is coming down on Scotland's panda show. For more than a decade the large furry animals have been the star attraction of Edinburgh Zoo, but time is up for the most famous duo in town. Yang Guang,

Visitors have one final opportunity to say goodbye to Britain’s only giant pandas before zoo keepers get them ready to make their way back to China. Yang Guang and Tian Tian have lived at Edinburgh Zoo since 2011 as part of a ten-year agreement between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

Edinburgh Zoo visitors will be able to see its giant pandas for the final time on Thursday before they are sent back to China. Tian Tian and Yang Guang arrived in Scotland to huge fanfare in 2011. But they are due to return in December under the terms of a 10-year loan,