Two giant pandas, emblems of China soft diplomacy, arrive in US

Two giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, arrived in the United States on Sunday, according to Beijing's state media. The pandas had been loaned to China as part of a diplomatic program to enhance international relations. The transfer had been planned in advance, with the announcement made on Thursday during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington.

The black-and-white bears departed from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on a chartered flight operated by FedEx, a Boeing 777 that crossed the international date line. After a 16-hour flight, the pandas touched down in Atlanta, Georgia, shortly before 7am local time on Sunday. They were hosted by Zoo Atlanta for a period of ten years.

The arrival was met with a farewell ceremony by the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where experienced keepers accompanied the pandas during their journey. Prior to their arrival, Zoo Atlanta had renovated its panda facilities and assembled a team of caretakers, ensuring a steady supply of locally grown bamboo, which has a climate similar to Chengdu, China.

Both pandas were born in 2020 and are six years old. In captivity, pandas typically live for around 30 years. Beijing has been sending pandas across the globe for decades as a means of soft-power diplomacy, a practice that dates back to the 1970s when China gifted a pair of pandas to the United States following US President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China.