Trump and Xi's summit revives panda diplomacy

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced during his visit to Washington D.C. with President Trump that China would send two pandas to Zoo Atlanta. The President described them as an "envoy of friendship". This move could serve as a means to ease tensions in U.S.–China relations, as the pandas have historically been one of China's most cherished soft power tools.

The summit between Xi and Trump, which also touched on topics like AI, economic ties and critical minerals, took place during Xi's three-day visit to the U.S. capital. Trump welcomed Xi at the Joint Base Andrews, an unusual gesture usually reserved for heads of state visiting the country.

China typically loans giant pandas to foreign countries for set terms as a gesture of goodwill. These pandas would be the first to reside at Zoo Atlanta since the previous pair returned to China in 2024. The zoo and the China Wildlife Conservation Association confirmed to Axios that the pandas mentioned by Xi are identical to the ones they had previously announced.

China has previously used its pandas as a bargaining chip when its relationships with foreign nations became strained. The pandas residing at the National Zoo in D.C. were returned to China in 2023 when their agreement expired, following a period of conflict between Washington and Beijing over security, economic and humanitarian issues. Following that, two new pandas were returned the following year under a new agreement.

Wild giant pandas are indigenous to China, meaning other nations seeking to observe them must receive them from Beijing. The first pair of pandas arrived in the U.S. during President Nixon's historic trip to China in 1972, which marked a new chapter in U.S.–China relations. President Nixon's wife, Pat, had fallen in love with the pandas, famously predicting "panda-monium" at the zoo upon their arrival.