China to Send 2 Pandas to Zoo Atlanta as Xi Revives Friendship Symbol
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 24
China to Send 2 Pandas to Zoo Atlanta as Xi Revives Friendship Symbol
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 24
Summary
Xi Jinping said China will soon send two pandas—Ping Ping and Fu Shuang—to Zoo Atlanta during his Washington meeting with President Trump.
Zoo Atlanta had been negotiating for a new pair since returning its panda family to China in October 2024, and an August research agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association cleared the way.
The Atlanta zoo is one of a small number of U.S. institutions that host pandas on loan from China, a program long used by Beijing as soft diplomacy.
The announcement offers a rare upbeat gesture in a relationship still strained by trade disputes, Taiwan tensions and broader security rivalry.