The Scottish Government asked China for help as Edinburgh Zoo reckoned with the financial implications of coronavirus.
And whilst the Chinese government appears to have offered support, the government has redacted details of exactly what this entailed.
In a letter dated April 23 last year and only now released under freedom of information laws, Cabinet Secretary for the Environment Roseanne Cunningham wrote to Chunliang Li at the National Forestry and Grassland Administration in Beijing.
The Chinese Ambassador was also copied into the letter to the agency, which is responsible for national forestry affairs in China.
She reassured Mr Li that whilst the pandas were in good health and had "a plentiful supply of bamboo", Edinburgh Zoo was facing financial implications as a result of its closure due the coronavirus pandemic.
"Any support that you can give to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runsEdinburgh Zoo, during this difficult period, with regard to the Giant Panda conservation programme, would be very much appreciated," she wrote.
In a follow up letter on May 29, Ms Cunningham thanked Mr Li for his response and said they "very much appreciate [REDACTED]".
It's not possible to tell what support was given to the zoo by the Chinese Government, if any.
Asked for comment on what support had been offered, the Scottish Government told Edinburgh Live redactions were made for commercial confidentiality reasons.
Giant pandas Yang Guang and Tian Tian arrived in 2011 to Edinburgh Zoo and cost some £1 million each year in upkeep costs.
The zoo currently has a 10-year loan agreement with China, but have expressed fears it may not be able to renew the contract due to financial pressure following the pandemic.
Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Chief Executive David Field said in January the zoo would have to "seriously consider every saving".
“The closure of Edinburgh zoo and Highland Wildlife Park for three months due to Covid-19 has had a huge financial impact on our charity because most of our income comes from our visitors," he said.
Field added: “We have to seriously consider every potential saving and this includes assessing our giant panda contract and the cost of their daily care.
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"At this stage, it is too soon to say what the outcome will be. We will be discussing next steps with our colleagues in China over the coming months.”
