The furry show of “soft power” came as top US officials on Friday called on China to uphold the trade agreement made in an October 2025 meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
The accord calmed tensions after a whirlwind of tariff hikes, and required China to buy US soybeans while suspending export controls on rare earths.
Before 2016, pandas were considered endangered but are now listed as “vulnerable” by wildlife advocates, and an estimated 1,800 pandas live in the wild.
The Chinese government has established more than 50 panda reserves for conservation, but in the wild the bears continue to face threats of habitat loss and poaching.
Atlanta previously hosted pandas on loan from China starting in 1999, and seven panda cubs have been born at the zoo. All are now back in Chengdu, and Zoo Atlanta has not had any pandas since 2024.
Both of the new arrivals were born in 2020, and it’s hoped they will be suitable mates. Pandas in captivity typically live for around 30 years.
In 1972, China gifted a pair of pandas to Washington, following US President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to the Communist nation.
Beijing recalled two of its pandas from Japan early this year, following a diplomatic spat that began when Japan’s prime minister hinted that Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of any attack on Taiwan.
