China sent two giant pandas to the United States on Sunday, state media reported. The pandas' transfer had been previously agreed upon, but their departure was announced during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington. The black and white mammals are immensely popular worldwide and are loaned out by China as part of its "panda diplomacy" programme.
The two pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, departed from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on a chartered flight at around 3:00 am on Sunday. They were accompanied by experienced keepers dispatched by the US side. The pandas were provided with steamed corn buns, bamboo shoots, and carrots to keep them nourished during their 15-hour flight.
The pandas are headed to a zoo in Atlanta, Georgia, where they will spend the next 10 years. Zoo Atlanta has renovated its panda facilities and assembled a team of animal caretakers in preparation for their arrival. The zoo has also ensured a stable and long-term supply of bamboo, grown locally in Atlanta, which has a climate similar to Chengdu.
Both pandas were born in 2020 and are six years old. Ping Ping is a male, while Fu Shuang, a female, will turn six next month. Pandas in captivity typically live for around 30 years. The furry creatures have been sent across the globe for decades as soft-power ambassadors of Beijing's diplomatic goodwill.
China has a history of using pandas as diplomatic gifts. In 1972, China gifted a pair of pandas to Washington following US President Richard Nixon's historic visit to the Communist nation. Zoo Atlanta previously hosted pandas on loan from China for a quarter of a century starting in 1999 but has not had any since 2024.
The departure of the pandas was marked by a farewell ceremony held at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. The Boeing 777 aircraft carrying the pandas was tracked on aviation information platform FlightRadar24 as it neared Alaska, roughly halfway into its journey.
The pandas' arrival in the US is seen as a symbolic move to strengthen ties between the two countries. The US and China have been working to improve relations, with President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington seen as a significant step in this direction. The pandas will be an important part of this effort, promoting cultural exchange and understanding between the two nations.
Key points
- The two giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, will spend the next 10 years at a zoo in Atlanta, Georgia.
- China has a long history of using pandas as diplomatic gifts, with the first recorded instance dating back to 1972.
- The pandas' transfer is part of China's "panda diplomacy" programme, aimed at fostering foreign ties through cultural exchange.
