Fuzzy, tumbling panda diplomats make public debut at San Diego Zoo

The first two new pandas to arrive in the U.S. in more than 20 years are getting a lot of attention this week.

Yun Chuan, a 5-year-old male, and Xin Bao, a 4-year-old female, may not be running for president, nor are they winning gold medals for Team USA in the Paris Olympics, but they are generating a frenzy of excitement.

These fluffy bears, considered national treasures in their native China, are now stealing hearts in California's San Diego Zoo. The pair are meeting the public for the first time since their arrival six weeks ago.

"It's a big deal," San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria told ABC News. "I'm sitting here trying to act professional, but I'm just so excited. We know people love these creatures, and what we want to do is harness that love to make sure they continue to thrive."

The project, known as "panda diplomacy," has been utilized by China for decades to showcase its soft power and mend relations with the U.S.

It's believed to date as far back as to the Tang Dynasty and was practiced during the Nixon administration to ease tensions between the two superpowers, reminding us that international relations aren't black and white. Panda diplomacy has come in handy again with the recent strains in the relationship between the U.S. and China, leading to a pause last year in the panda-swapping program.

"One of the things that's so important about giant panda conservation is that it really forms a bridge between both our peoples here in the U.S. and then China," San Diego Zoo CEO Paul Baribault said. "We work collectively with our partners in China to develop new conservation projects and programs to further the conservation of the giant panda over the next decade."

Two more pandas are coming later this year to the US to the Smithsonian National Zoo in DC.

ABC News also got a behind-the-scenes look to see how San Diego Zoo staffers take care of their newest VIPs (very important pandas). Yun Chuan is more outgoing, while Xin Bao is more laid-back, according to the zookeepers.

Regardless of their temperaments, both pandas do a great deal of eating, and their diet consists almost exclusively of bamboo. The zoo is growing eight different species of the plant to satisfy the pandas' picky palates.

"We give each of the pandas a choice, so they can tell us which ones are their favorites," Dr. Megan Owen, VP of Wildlife and Conservation Science for the San Diego Zoo, said. "We need to balance that with what are the most nutritious species for the bears."

Eager to learn more about the furry diplomats, Good Morning America anchor Janai Norman traveled to Sichuan, China -- home of the friendly giants -- and discovered to how to prepare yummy treats for the pandas.

With expert guidance from caretaker Liu Chuan Hua, Norman broke up bamboo for a cub as it prepares to expand its diet at nearly a year old.

"That panda just had some formula milk that the caretakers provided. This is about the time they start being introduced to solids," Norman said. "Like that little bit of bamboo, already broken up, so that they can eat it while they're still getting their adult grown-up teeth."

On her trip, Norman took a tough forty-minute trek on foot to get to the invite-only wilderness training base at the Wolong National Nature Reserve.

When she arrived at the reserve, she had to wear a panda suit to go undercover. The measure stops captivity-born cubs from getting too used to being around humans.

Rangers also patrol the reserve to monitor the pandas' locations and make sure it's secure.

"It's kind of like a baby in a crib at home," Norman said. "If they can, they'll find a way to escape."

Ultimately, the goal is to release the animals into the wild once they've lost their baby teeth and grown permanent bamboo-tearing teeth.

Giant pandas in China are gentle creatures, feeding every two to four hours and napping for nearly 12 hours each day. They were removed from the endangered species list in 2016, after 26 years of intense conservation efforts, but the work must continue to keep those numbers up.