China will send two pandas to Zoo Atlanta, Xi Jinping announced during his meeting with Donald Trump in Washington, offering a rare sign of warmth amid strained relations between the two countries.
The Chinese president said the animals, named Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, would be sent to the Georgia zoo soon. He described pandas as “envoys of friendship”, continuing a tradition of symbolic diplomacy that began more than 50 years ago.
Zoo Atlanta returned its previous family of pandas to China in October 2024. It has since been negotiating with Chinese conservation officials over the arrival of another pair.
In August, the zoo announced a new research agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The agreement paved the way for the organisation to arrange the pandas’ transfer to Atlanta, with Mr Xi’s announcement confirming the plan.
The development comes as relations between Washington and Beijing remain tense. American officials have accused China of unfair trade practices and of supporting US adversaries, while the two governments have clashed over American naval activity and China’s military operations around Taiwan and the wider Pacific.
Despite those disputes, panda diplomacy has endured since Richard Nixon’s landmark visit to Beijing in 1972. After the then first lady, Pat Nixon, told Chinese premier Zhou Enlai, “I love them”, China sent Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing to the National Zoo in Washington within two months.
The National Zoo paid 1 million dollars a year to host the pair, with the fee later falling to 500,000 dollars. Zoos in Atlanta, San Diego and Memphis subsequently joined the programme.
For a period, however, the United States was left without any pandas. The last two families departed the National Zoo in 2023 and Zoo Atlanta the following year, prompting speculation that worsening relations between the countries had influenced China’s decision.
Some zoo officials said instead that the animals had been recalled because of their life cycles. Pandas born overseas are returned to China to be raised in conservation parks in Sichuan province, while their parents are generally sent back once they reach a certain age.
China has since renewed its panda presence in the US. Yun Chuan and Xin Bao arrived at San Diego Zoo in June 2024, followed by Bao Li and Qing Bao at the National Zoo in October that year. Zoo Atlanta is now set to welcome its new pair, provided the promised transfer goes ahead.
