Two giant pandas have departed from China bound for a zoo in the United States. The two specimens, named Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, left Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport aboard a charter plane.
The departure was announced on Thursday during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington. The two pandas will spend the next ten years at a zoo in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to the flight, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding held a farewell ceremony for the two mammals.
For decades, China has used giant pandas as a tool of 'panda diplomacy,' a program through which it lends these iconic animals to other countries to foster international relations. Pandas, an endangered species and a national symbol of China, enjoy immense global popularity.
This practice has ancient origins but was formalized in the 1950s. Beijing retains ownership of all pandas born in captivity abroad and often ties the loans to diplomatic relations. In early 2026, China recalled two pandas from Japan following a diplomatic dispute, demonstrating how these transfers reflect the state of bilateral relations. The flight of Ping Ping and Fu Shuang follows a summit in Washington and represents a symbolic gesture in Sino-American relations.
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