China sends two giant pandas to US’ Zoo Atlanta

China yesterday sent two giant pandas to the US, Chinese state media said, after a Washington summit that was heavy on symbolism and light on major breakthroughs.

The pandas’ transfer had already been agreed, but the departure was announced on Thursday during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) visit to Washington.

The black-and-white mammals are immensely popular around the world, and China loans them out as part of a “panda diplomacy” program to foster foreign ties.

Staff members transfer a cage holding giant panda Ping Ping at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China on Saturday.

Photo: Xinhua via AP

Ping Ping (平平) and Fu Shuang (福雙) departed from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on a chartered flight at about 3am yesterday, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.

Steamed corn buns, bamboo shoots and carrots have been prepared to keep the pandas nourished during their 15-hour flight, Chinese state-run media the Global Times reported.

The Boeing 777 operated by FedEx was the top-tracked aircraft on aviation information platform FlightRadar24 as it neared Alaska, about halfway into its journey.

The pandas were headed to a zoo in Atlanta, Georgia, where they will be spending the next 10 years.

A farewell ceremony was held for the pair before their departure by the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Experienced keepers were dispatched by the US side to accompany the duo on their flight, the Global Times reported.

In preparation for their arrival, Zoo Atlanta has renovated its panda facilities and assembled a team of animal caretakers.

It has also ensured a stable and long-term supply of bamboo, grown locally in Atlanta, which has a climate very similar to Chengdu.

Zoo Atlanta previously hosted pandas on loan from China for a quarter of a century starting in 1999, but it has not had any since 2024.

Both the expected arrivals were born in 2020. Ping Ping, a male, is now six years old, while Fu Shuang, a female, is to turn six next month.

Pandas in captivity typically live for about 30 years.

The furry creatures have been sent across the globe for decades as soft-power ambassadors of Beijing’s diplomatic goodwill.

In 1972, China gifted a pair of pandas to Washington, following then-US president Richard Nixon’s historic visit to the communist nation.

Beijing recalled two of its pandas from Japan early this year, following a diplomatic spat that began when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hinted that Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of an attack on Taiwan.