China Sends Pair of Giant Pandas to the United States

Follow-up — Al-Wasat Iraqi newspaper

China on Sunday sent a pair of giant pandas to the United States, Chinese state media reported, following the leaders' summit in Washington that was largely ceremonial and produced no breakthroughs.

The transfer of the pair had been agreed previously, but their departure date was announced on Thursday during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington.

These black-and-white mammals are hugely popular worldwide, and China loans them to other countries under a program known as "panda diplomacy" to bolster foreign relations.

State news agency Xinhua said that "Bing Bing" and "Fu Shuang" departed Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on a chartered plane at around 3 a.m. on Sunday (19:00 GMT Saturday).

It added that they are en route to a zoo in Atlanta, Georgia, where they will spend the next ten years.

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding held a farewell ceremony for the pair before their trip.

Beijing had reclaimed pandas from Japan earlier this year after a diplomatic rift arose between the two countries following remarks by Japan's prime minister that hinted Tokyo might intervene militarily if Taiwan were attacked by China.