During the White House welcome ceremony on September 24, 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that giant pandas Ping Ping (平平, studbook 1230) and Fu Shuang (福双, studbook 1250) would arrive at their new home in Zoo Atlanta "in a few days."
This was the first public confirmation of arrival timing since April 24, 2026, when Zoo Atlanta announced that a new Giant Panda Conservation International Cooperative Research Agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association had been formally launched. The agreement covers a 10-year conservation partnership and names Ping Ping and Fu Shuang as the next Atlanta pair.
The announcement reconnects Zoo Atlanta with its panda program, which ran from 1999 to 2024 and produced seven Atlanta-born cubs, following the return of Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun to China in October 2024.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China — Remarks at the Arrival Ceremony at the White House, September 24, 2026.
