Xi Sends Atlanta Pandas

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China will send two giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, to Zoo Atlanta in the coming days. He announced the timing during his White House visit with President Donald Trump, while also saying China would invite 100,000 young Americans to study there over the next five years. The pandas are part of a conservation agreement with China’s wildlife agency, after Zoo Atlanta’s previous four pandas returned to China in 2024. China has long used panda loans as a soft-power symbol of friendship while keeping authority over the animals. Xi called the pandas “an envoy of friendship.” China’s commerce ministry said the countries have held their first AI dialogue.