Sky News reported earlier in the week that the two pandas would depart in early December from the Edinburgh Zoo. The visitors were able to see them for the last time on Thursday as preparations to return the animals to China begin, the report said.
"In accordance with the terms in the cooperation agreement signed between China and the UK, Yang Guang and Tian Tian, the two giant pandas, will return to China after the agreement expire in December," Wang told the briefing, adding that China had made good preparations to welcome them home.
Beijing is ready to continue to strengthen cooperation with the UK and other international partners on the protection of endangered species, the diplomat also said.
The two pandas were transferred to Scotland from China in 2011 as part of the 10-year agreement between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The deal was extended by two years in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The giant panda is an unofficial symbol of China. In July 2021, the Chinese authorities announced that giant pandas are no longer an endangered species in the country, as their wild population has exceeded 1,800 individuals over the past decade.