China Sends a Pair of Giant Pandas to the United States

China sent a pair of giant pandas to the United States on Sunday, according to official Chinese media, following a summit between the leaders of the two countries in Washington that was largely ceremonial and yielded no breakthroughs.

The transfer of the panda pair had been agreed upon in advance, but their departure date was announced on Thursday during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington.

These black-and-white mammals enjoy immense popularity worldwide, and China lends them to other countries as part of a program known as “panda diplomacy” to bolster foreign relations.

The animals are en route to a zoo in Atlanta, Georgia, where they will spend the next ten years.

Earlier this year, Beijing recovered two pandas from Japan following a diplomatic dispute between the two countries, which arose after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hinted at the possibility of Tokyo’s military intervention in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.