Washington, Sep 24 Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday said two giant pandas from China will soon reach Zoo Atlanta, describing the gentle animals as an “envoy of friendship”.
“The giant panda has been an envoy of friendship between the Chinese and Americans,” Xi said during his opening remarks at the White House with US President Donald Trump by his side.
Xi announced that Ping Ping, a male, and Fu Shuang, a female, will soon travel to Atlanta as part of a giant panda conservation partnership.
“Here, I have a piece of good news. In a few days, two pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, will come to their new home in Zoo Atlanta and meet with the American people,” Xi said.
Giant pandas have been a symbol of the US-China friendship ever since Beijing gifted a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. in 1972.
Currently, the National Zoo here and the San Diego Zoo have pandas that were received from China in 2024.
The pandas at the National Zoo – Bao Li and Qing Bao – are three years old and are a favourite with locals who queue up to visit them in their special shelters.
The San Diego Zoo has two pandas – Yun Chuan and Xin Bao.
China has long used its giant panda loan program as a tool of Beijing’s soft power diplomacy worldwide.
(PTI News)
