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Atlanta is set to welcome giant pandas once again.
In a move marking a continuation of its renowned panda diplomacy, China announced on Friday that it would be sending two giant pandas to Zoo Atlanta. This decision comes even amidst existing tensions between Beijing and Washington, and just weeks before U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to embark on a highly anticipated visit to China.
The China Wildlife Conservation Association released a statement confirming that male panda Ping Ping and female panda Fu Shuang, both from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, will be part of a decade-long conservation partnership with Zoo Atlanta. This initiative stems from an agreement signed with the zoo last year, aiming to foster conservation efforts between the two nations.
While the exact departure date for the pandas has not been disclosed, preparations are well underway. The U.S. is actively working on upgrading facilities to ensure a comfortable and secure habitat for the new arrivals. Meanwhile, Chinese experts are playing an advisory role, providing technical guidance to enhance these facilities.
This announcement coincides with President Trump’s upcoming visit to China in mid-May, where he plans to engage in discussions on a variety of topics, including trade, with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The timing of the pandas’ arrival may add a layer of diplomatic goodwill to the high-stakes talks between the two leaders.
Zoo Atlanta said in a statement Thursday that it was delighted and honored to be trusted as stewards of the pandas and to partner with the association.
“We can’t wait to meet Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and to welcome our members, guests, city, and community back to the wonder and joy of giant pandas,” the zoo’s president, Raymond B. King, said.
During an earlier giant panda agreement between the zoo and China that concluded in 2024, pandas Lun Lun and Yang Yang gave birth to seven bears, the zoo said. Lun Lun and Yang Yan and their two youngest offspring left Atlanta for China in October 2024, where the rest of their offspring reside, it said.
China’s giant panda loan program has long been known as a tool of Beijing’s soft-power diplomacy, but its conservation significance could have been an important reason Beijing is renewing its cooperation with US zoos at a time of otherwise sour relations.
The association said Friday that the new round of cooperation will help China and the US to yield more results in areas ranging from disease prevention and treatment to scientific exchanges.
Giant pandas have long been a symbol of the US-China friendship, ever since Beijing gifted a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington in 1972.
In 2024, the National Zoo in Washington and the San Diego Zoo also received pandas from China.