Xi Jinping makes surprise panda announcement during his US visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced plans to send two giant pandas to Zoo Atlanta during his high-stakes visit to the United States-a move that adds an emblematic gesture to his trip and highlights the enduring friendship built over decades between China and the US.

During Thursday’s meeting with President Donald Trump and other White House officials, Xi announced that China will be sending two pandas to Zoo Atlanta calling the animals an “envoy of friendship.”

The short announcement was the latest update since the Atlanta zoo unveiled a new research agreement with the China Wildfire Conservation Association.

In accordance with the agreement, the organization expects to send a male panda Ping Ping and a female panda Fu Shuang from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

In this connection, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that the new round will enhance the vitality of cooperation on conservation, help improve the health and well-being of the giant pandas and elevate international wildlife conservation while deepening mutual ties between the Chinese and American peoples.

Giant pandas have been a symbol of the US-China friendship since Beijing gifted a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington D.C. in 1972 and China has used its giant panda loan program as a tool of Beijing’s public diplomacy globally.