Trump receives pandas from Xi Jinping as 'envoys of friendship'

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced Thursday during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and White House officials that two giant pandas will be sent to Zoo Atlanta, calling them "envoys of friendship" between China and the United States. The pandas, a male named Ping Ping and a female named Fu Shuang, come from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and will arrive under a new research and conservation agreement between Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association. Xi said they will reach their new home "within days," though the zoo has not confirmed an exact arrival date. The announcement continues a long-standing panda cooperation program dating to 1972, when China gifted a pair to Washington's National Zoo. Zoo Atlanta's previous agreement ended in 2024, with pandas Lun Lun and Yang Yang and their offspring returned to China. Two pandas currently reside at other U.S. zoos.