After the Trump-Xi summit, two giant pandas arrive in the United States from China

Two giant pandas sent by China arrived in the United States on Thursday, the state news agency Xinhua reported, after the summit held in Washington between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Ping Ping, six years old, and Fu Shuang, who turns six next month, departed from Chengdu-Shuangliu International Airport at 3:00 a.m. local time. After a 16-hour flight, they arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, just before 7:00 a.m. local time, Xinhua reported. The Boeing 777, operated by FedEx, was one of the most-tracked flights on the FlightRadar24 platform as it approached Alaska en route to the United States.

The two pandas will spend the next ten years at Zoo Atlanta. Before their departure, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding held a farewell ceremony in honor of the two animals. The American side sent experienced keepers to accompany the pandas during the flight, the Global Times reported. Ahead of their arrival, Zoo Atlanta renovated the habitats where the pandas will stay and set up a dedicated care team.

The zoo has also secured a stable, long-term supply of bamboo, grown locally in Atlanta. The city’s climate is similar to Chengdu’s, creating suitable conditions for cultivating the pandas’ favorite food. The transfer of the two animals is the result of an agreement reached in 2025 and was announced Thursday by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Washington, where he met his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump. The giant panda is hugely popular worldwide, and China has for years used the animals as a diplomatic tool to strengthen relations with other countries through loans.