China Sends Two Giant Pandas to Zoo Atlanta
China delivered two giant pandas to Zoo Atlanta on a 10-year loan as a gesture of soft diplomacy following a visit by Xi Jinping.
Two giant pandas, a male named Ping Ping and a female named Fu Shuang, arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sunday via a FedEx cargo flight from Chengdu, China. The animals are arriving on a 10-year loan to Zoo Atlanta under a research agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association.
Xi Jinping, the leader of China, announced the dispatch of the pandas during a visit to the White House. He described the animals as "envoys of friendship" and symbols of the relationship between the United States and China.
This gesture of soft diplomacy occurs while the two nations maintain ongoing tensions regarding Chinese military activity in the Pacific region and around Taiwan, as well as disputes over trade practices.
