2 giant pandas set off to Atlanta zoo from China after Xi-Trump summit

Two giant pandas embarked on a journey from Chengdu, China, to Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday as part of a diplomatic agreement between China and the United States. The pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, were transported for their new residence at Zoo Atlanta, under a decade-long loan agreement. This agreement was one of the few tangible results of Chinese President Xi Jinping's three-day summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The summit, held in Washington, primarily focused on expressions of goodwill between the leaders, without resolving any long-standing differences between the two nations. The last pandas to reside in Atlanta were relinquished in 2024, leaving the zoo without the bears. The agreement was initially announced in April, but no specific dates were provided.

Ping Ping, the male panda, is distinguished by dark black circles around his eyes, while Fu Shuang, the female, has a slightly protruding forehead. China has a history of utilizing pandas for diplomacy, deploying the bears as expressions of goodwill and withdrawing them from loan programs during periods of strained relations. Xi stated that the panda loan program symbolizes friendship between China and America.