ATLANTA, Georgia – Beijing is apparently sending two pandas to the US, adding to signs of stabilising ties between the nations just before President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Xi Jinping in mid-May.
Zoo Atlanta said in a statement on April 23 that a male panda named Ping Ping and a female named Fu Shuang are part of an agreement reached with the China Wildlife Conservation Association.
The new deal replaces the original one, which expired in 2024, said the zoo, which provided no information on when the pandas would arrive.
The Foreign Ministry in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment on April 24.
China lends the animals out to zoos around the world as part of its so-called Panda Diplomacy, which can be used to reward friends or punish perceived misbehaviour.
In January, China took back Japan’s last two pandas, effectively halting a programme that had symbolised friendship between the two countries since diplomatic ties were re-established in 1972.
Their return came while the Asian neighbours were locked in a dispute over comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the possibility of a scenario in which Tokyo might dispatch its military if Beijing were to attempt to take control of Taiwan by force.
In 2024, China sent two new giant pandas to Washington after an absence of nearly a year prompted fears the National Zoo would never see the animals again.
The initial failure to renew a panda agreement led to speculation that strained relations at the time were the reason for the loss.
Both sides denied politics were at play.
US-China ties have improved since a meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Xi in South Korea in 2025 that resulted in a one-year truce in the trade war.
Mr Trump is set to visit China in May, a trip that comes after he postponed a meeting in March to focus on the war with Iran. BLOOMBERG
