Two giant pandas sent by China arrived in the United States on Sunday and will spend the next decade at Zoo Atlanta, according to Chinese state media.

The pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, departed Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in China aboard a chartered FedEx flight at approximately 3 a.m. local time Saturday. After traveling for about 16 hours and crossing the International Date Line, they landed in Atlanta shortly before 7 a.m. Sunday.

The transfer had already been agreed upon, but China announced the pandas' departure Thursday during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington. The announcement came during a summit between Xi and President Donald Trump that produced several trade agreements but also featured diplomatic symbolism between the two countries.

Ping Ping, a male, and Fu Shuang, a female, were both born in 2020. Ping Ping is six years old, while Fu Shuang will turn six next month.

The pandas were provided with steamed corn buns, bamboo shoots and carrots during the flight. Experienced animal keepers from the United States accompanied the animals during their journey.

Zoo Atlanta has spent months preparing for their arrival, renovating its panda facilities and assembling a team of caretakers. The zoo has also secured a long-term supply of bamboo grown locally in the Atlanta area.

The two pandas will remain at the zoo for 10 years under the agreement with China. Zoo Atlanta previously hosted Chinese pandas for roughly 25 years beginning in 1999, but the facility has been without pandas since 2024.

China has used pandas as diplomatic symbols for decades, often lending the animals to foreign zoos as part of what has become known as “panda diplomacy.”

The practice dates back to 1972, when China presented a pair of giant pandas to the United States following then-President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China.

The latest arrival comes as Washington and Beijing continue to manage a complicated diplomatic and economic relationship. The pandas' transfer was agreed upon before Xi's latest visit, but its announcement during the summit gave the exchange added diplomatic significance.

Giant pandas typically live for about 30 years in captivity, meaning Ping Ping and Fu Shuang are expected to remain at Zoo Atlanta for a substantial portion of their adult lives.