Two giant pandas head to Atlanta zoo from China after Trump-Xi agreement

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A pair of giant pandas departed from Chengdu in south-west China early on Sunday morning, travelling to their new home in Atlanta under a joint agreement between the Chinese and American governments.

While attending a three-day summit in Washington with US president Donald Trump, Chinese president Xi Jinping stated that the bears would arrive in Atlanta over the coming days.

The temporary transfer of the pandas to the zoo was among the few concrete outcomes to emerge from the state visit, which produced public displays of goodwill between the leaders but failed to settle long-standing diplomatic differences between the two nations.

Atlanta said goodbye to its final pandas in 2024, leaving its zoo without any of the animals. A fresh arrangement was initially announced back in April, though specific dates were not released.

The pandas are on their way to an Atlanta zoo (AP)

Ping Ping and Fu Shuang are the adult pandas assigned to Zoo Atlanta for a period of 10 years as part of the deal. Both animals were born in 2020 and cared for at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Ping Ping, a male, possesses distinct dark black circles around his eyes, while Fu Shuang, a female, features a slightly protruding forehead, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Beijing has long employed pandas as instruments of global diplomacy, loaning the bears as a sign of goodwill while allowing contracts to lapse when international relations become strained.

Xi described the loan programme as a demonstration of “friendship between the Chinese and Americans.”

Earlier this week, Trump met UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham for the first time, with talks taking place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

In a largely warm shared press conference, the president praised Burnham as a “natural business person” and the former mayor of Greater Manchester said he had “established a good connection” with Trump.

The prime minister said that the pair had “taken that further today” as they discussed trade, energy and immigration among other topics during their 40-minute meeting.

Trump told reporters: “I think right now, based on my relationship with your prime minister, Andy, I think we’re doing very well.”