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China will send two giant pandas to Zoo Atlanta in the coming days, Chinese President Xi Jinping said during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on September 23.
“I have good news. In a few days, two pandas — Ping Ping and Fu Shuang — will arrive at their new home at Zoo Atlanta and meet the American people,” Xi said.
He added that giant pandas had long been a “symbol of friendship” between the Chinese and American peoples.
The two pandas, a male named Ping Ping and a female named Fu Shuang, were born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. Their arrival is part of a new 10-year international conservation agreement between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association.
Panda diplomacy
China has used giant pandas as a diplomatic symbol for decades, a practice widely known as “panda diplomacy.” Beijing began lending pandas to foreign zoos in the 1980s after initially giving them as gifts.
Pandas became a prominent symbol of U.S.-China relations in 1972, when China sent pandas to the National Zoo in Washington following President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China.
Zoo Atlanta previously hosted giant pandas under a cooperation agreement that began in 1999. The zoo’s original pandas, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, had seven cubs during the 25-year partnership. The remaining pandas returned to China in October 2024 after the agreement expired.
The new agreement means Zoo Atlanta will once again host giant pandas. The zoo announced the partnership in April 2026, although it initially did not provide an exact arrival date.
The announcement comes during Xi’s state visit to the United States from September 23 to 25, where he is holding talks with Trump on U.S.-China relations and broader international issues.
