Giant Panda Chinese Diplomacy!
China
Beijing, Sep 27 (EFE).-
Giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang left China on Sunday for the United States, where they will begin a 10-year stay at Zoo Atlanta under a scientific cooperation agreement that continues Beijing’s long-running “panda diplomacy.”
The pair, both born in 2020 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province, departed just days after Chinese President Xi Jinping announced their transfer during a White House ceremony hosted by US President Donald Trump.
At the event, Xi described the agreement as “good news” and called the pandas “envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American people.”
According to state news agency Xinhua, the China Wildlife Conservation Association signed a new giant panda conservation agreement with Zoo Atlanta, under which the male Ping Ping and the female Fu Shuang will remain in the United States for a decade.
Ten-year conservation partnership Chinese and US teams have spent months preparing for the pandas’ arrival.
Zoo Atlanta upgraded its facilities, while Chinese specialists provided technical guidance on enclosure design, nutrition, veterinary care and animal welfare.
Pre-departure medical examinations confirmed that both pandas are in good health.
Upon arrival, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang will undergo a quarantine period, during which Chinese keepers will remain in Atlanta to help care for the animals and ease their adaptation to their new environment.
The pandas traveled aboard a charter flight accompanied by an American veterinarian and a keeper, with supplies including bamboo shoots, steamed corn buns, carrots, water and medicine for the journey.
Revival of “panda diplomacy”
Atlanta was one of the United States’ leading panda conservation centers for 25 years, but returned its four giant pandas to China in 2024 as bilateral relations deteriorated and several loan agreements expired.
The new transfer builds on the diplomatic thaw that began later that year, when another panda pair arrived at the San Diego Zoo under a separate 10-year cooperation agreement.
China’s modern “panda diplomacy” has relied on long-term loans and scientific partnerships since the 1980s rather than permanent gifts. Under these agreements, China retains ownership of the animals, while cubs born abroad are returned to China upon reaching sexual maturity and adult pandas eventually return in old age. EFE imh-sk
