"Pandas Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji and Tian Tian, who are temporarily staying at Washington's National Zoo, will be returned home by the end of the year in accordance with the previously agreed terms," Mao told a briefing.
Washington and Beijing are currently discussing the relevant procedures, the spokeswoman said, adding that fruitful China-US cooperation on panda conservation "has narrowed the spiritual distance between the peoples of China and the US.
In August, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she did not know if US President Joe Biden would raise the issue of extending the three pandas' stay in Washington during a possible meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington and the China Wildlife and Conservation Society have a three-year agreement to keep three panda bears in the US capital through 2023. The agreement is set to expire in December.
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.