Two giant pandas have left China for a 10-year stay at Zoo Atlanta following a loan agreement between the two nations.

Giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang departed from Chengdu, China, on September 27, bound for Zoo Atlanta in Georgia. The two animals, both born in 2020, are traveling to the United States under a 10-year loan agreement. Their departure follows a recent state visit to Washington by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who highlighted the program as a gesture of friendship between the Chinese and American people.

Details of the Panda Loan

The pandas were transported from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where they had been housed prior to their departure. Ping Ping is a male born on March 17, 2020, and Fu Shuang is a female born on October 18, 2020. The flight departed from Chengdu airport at 2:55 a.m. local time on September 27. Zoo Atlanta has been without giant pandas since its previous pair departed in 2024.

Diplomatic Context

The loan agreement was initially announced in April, though a specific arrival date was not provided at that time. President Xi Jinping confirmed the impending arrival of the pandas during a summit with US President Donald Trump. While the panda program serves as a component of China's international diplomacy, reports noted that the state visit between the two leaders did not resolve broader, longstanding differences between Washington and Beijing.