Ping Ping and Fu Shuang Arrive at Zoo Atlanta as Part of New US-China Panda Agreement

Two giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, have arrived in the US state of Georgia on a 10-year loan as part of a soft-power gesture from China. The arrival follows a new agreement between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, making Atlanta one of only three zoos in the US to house giant pandas.

The diplomatic gifts departed early on Sunday from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in southwestern China, according to Chinese state media. Their journey comes on the heels of a high-level three-day Washington summit with China last week, where closed-door talks between United States President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping yielded no major policy breakthroughs on issues such as AI, trade, Taiwan, and the war with Iran.

Although the transfer had been finalized in April, Chinese President Xi Jinping officially announced the arrival timeline on Thursday at the White House. The pandas completed a 16-hour charter flight across the International Date Line aboard a FedEx Boeing 777, landing in Atlanta, Georgia, shortly before 7:00am (11:00am GMT).

Ahead of their arrival, Zoo Atlanta upgraded its panda habitats and secured a stable supply of locally grown Atlanta bamboo. The bears will undergo a month-long quarantine in a biosecure area of the wildlife park's new giant panda complex before making their public debut.