President: Zoo Atlanta soon to receive two pandas

President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that two giant pandas from China will arrive at Zoo Atlanta within days, calling the species an "envoy of friendship" between the Chinese and American peoples.

Speaking at the White House welcome ceremony held by US President Donald Trump on Thursday morning, Xi said male giant panda Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang "will come to their new home in Zoo Atlanta and meet with the American people" in a few days.

The deal to send the pandas to Atlanta was first announced in April as part of a new giant panda conservation agreement between the zoo and the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

The pair were born in 2020 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Southwest China's Sichuan province.

The new agreement will begin another decade of conservation cooperation between China and Zoo Atlanta, restoring a partnership that concluded in 2024 after 25 years.

Zoo Atlanta's original giant panda program began in 1999 with the arrival of Lun Lun and Yang Yang. The pair produced seven cubs in five litters between 2006 and 2016, including two sets of twins.

The four pandas remaining in Atlanta — Lun Lun, Yang Yang and their youngest offspring, twins Ya Lun and Xi Lun — returned to China in October 2024.

Raymond King, the Zoo Atlanta president and CEO, welcomed the renewed partnership when it was announced in April.

"We can't wait to meet Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and to welcome our members, guests, city and community back to the wonder and joy of giant pandas," King said at the time.

The zoo has been upgrading its giant panda complex in preparation for the new arrivals. Chinese experts have provided technical guidance on enclosure standards, husbandry, feeding, and healthcare, according to the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

The previous partnership included cooperation in behavioral training, preventive veterinary medicine, conservation education and scientific exchanges. The renewed program is expected to include work on disease prevention and control, scientific research, and giant panda habitat conservation.

The return of pandas to Atlanta also continues a much longer story between the animals and generations of Americans.

That connection dates to 1972, when giant pandas Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing arrived at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington as a gift from China to the American people following then-US president Richard Nixon's historic visit to China.

The Smithsonian says nearly 24,000 people came to see the pair during their first weekend, beginning a relationship with giant pandas that has attracted millions of visitors over more than 50 years. The National Zoo describes the animals as a symbol of cross-cultural collaboration between the two countries.

For Mikayla Flores, a longtime Washington resident, visits to the panda house at the National Zoo became part of her family's memories.

"My fond family memories are all about visiting the panda house at the National Zoo with people from different states and even other countries," she told China Daily. Flores said she was thrilled to learn that Ping Ping and Fu Shuang soon would be heading to Georgia.

"I have family there," she said, adding that they will now have the opportunity to see the beloved bears themselves.

Washington currently has two pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, whose arrival in 2024 marked a new phase of the Smithsonian's conservation partnership with China. They made their public debut at the National Zoo in January 2025.

The San Diego Zoo also received giant pandas from China in 2024. Atlanta will again join Washington and San Diego as US cities participating in giant panda conservation programs with China.

Chang Jun in Washington contributed to this story.