Giant pandas Pingping, Fushuang arrive in Atlanta amid US-China thaw

Two giant pandas from China, symbols of friendship between the two countries, arrived in the United States on Sunday (local time).

According to China Central Television and other outlets, the pandas — Pingping and Fushuang — departed Chengdu Shuangliu Airport aboard a charter flight at 2:55 a.m. China time Sunday and landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia that morning Eastern time.

The pandas will live at Zoo Atlanta and be used in joint research for 10 years. A zoo official said preparations to receive the animals were complete and that the pandas would meet the public after an adjustment period of about one month.

Before their departure, a farewell ceremony was held at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan Province.

Pingping is male and Fushuang is female; they were born in March and October 2020, respectively.

Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping said at a welcoming ceremony ahead of his summit with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday that "in a few days, two pandas will come to their new home at Zoo Atlanta and meet the American people."

China has long practiced "panda diplomacy," using giant pandas as goodwill ambassadors to foster friendly ties with other nations.

The two countries have conducted joint panda research since 1999, publishing more than 50 papers and successfully breeding seven cubs, Xinhua News Agency said.