China Fights Rumors of Panda Abuse at US Zoo in Sign of Goodwill
Giant Panda Tian Tian at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC.
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China cracked down on rumors that a Washington zoo abused its pandas, as it seeks to steady ties with the US weeks before President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House.
Police in Sichuan accused two people of spreading false information that the bears, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, were mistreated at the National Zoo in Washington, according to an official statement on Friday. The man and woman also incited boycotts of international efforts to conserve the animals, authorities alleged.