Panda pair set depart Chengdu for US following Xi-Trump meeting

Two giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, left Chengdu early Sunday on a chartered flight bound for Zoo Atlanta, beginning a 10-year stay in the United States.

The pandas are being sent under a conservation agreement between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association. Beijing recalled four giant pandas from Atlanta in 2024, ending the zoo's previous loan agreement with China.

Their transfer was highlighted as an outcome of renewed China-US engagement during talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump at the White House.

In remarks before the meeting, Xi said the pandas would arrive at Zoo Atlanta within days and described their transfer as a sign of friendship between the Chinese and American people.