Giant Panda Fu Shuang file photo: China Wildlife Conservation Association

A pair of giant pandas from China's Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding - male Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang - will travel to Zoo Atlanta in the US under a 10-year international conservation cooperation agreement, the China Wildlife Conservation Association said in a release on Friday. 

The move will extend a "panda bond" between the Chinese and American peoples that has lasted for more than two decades, and is expected to further boost joint research, biodiversity protection and people-to-people friendship, according to the Association.

Giant panda is not only a national treasure of China but also emissaries and bridges for friendship, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing on Friday, when asked by a foreign reporter about whether the ministry could confirm the news.

"We believe that the new round of cooperation effort between China and the US on giant panda conservation will contribute to the well-being of giant pandas, the capacity for protecting giant pandas and other endangered species, global biodiversity conservation and the friendship between the people of China and the US," Guo added.

The association signed an international cooperation research agreement on giant panda conservation with Zoo Atlanta in the US last year. To ensure the two giant pandas can live healthily and comfortably in the US, the US side has been actively preparing for their arrival, including upgrading and renovating its panda facilities to provide a more suitable and safer environment. Chinese experts have also provided technical guidance on the renovations, setting out standards and requirements for the panda enclosures, facility conditions, husbandry management, food supply, and health care, said the association. 

Giant Panda Ping Ping file photo: China Wildlife Conservation Association

Over the years, China and the US have carried out extensive and in-depth cooperation in giant panda conservation. Although this cooperation encountered some obstacles in recent years, cooperation in this field has continued to strengthen. This shows that both sides remain willing to advance such cooperation, Xin Qiang, deputy director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times. 

The new agreement can be seen as a gesture of goodwill from both sides. Pandas, especially in China-US relations, carry unique historical and political significance, said Xin, noting that when Richard Nixon visited China in 1972, China agreed to send two giant pandas to the US, marking the beginning of this special form of exchange.

The latest round of panda cooperation drew attention from some US and Western media on Friday. NBC News reported that the announcement came weeks ahead of Trump's planned visit to China in mid-May. Meanwhile, a report from the Associated Press noted that "Giant pandas have been a symbol of the US-China friendship ever since Beijing gifted a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington in 1972."

Zoo Atlanta also announced the news on its website. "Zoo Atlanta is delighted and honored to yet again be trusted as stewards of this treasured species and to partner with the China Wildlife Conservation Association on the continued conservation and research efforts that are the most important outcomes of this cooperation," said Raymond B. King, president and CEO. "We can't wait to meet Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and to welcome our Members, guests, city, and community back to the wonder and joy of giant pandas," according to a release on its website.

Zoo Atlanta will make future announcements on further information about Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, said the Zoo's release.