Picture of giant panda Fu Shuang. Photo: courtesy of Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Good news for panda fans: a pair of pandas will make their home at Zoo Atlanta in just a few days, Chinese President Xi Jinping shared the news in remarks at a White House welcoming ceremony hosted by US President Donald Trump, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.

The China Wildlife Conservation Association signed an agreement with Zoo Atlanta last year to launch a new round of international cooperation on giant panda conservation and research. Under the agreement, a pair of giant pandas from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding - male Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang - will travel to the US for a 10-year conservation partnership.

To ensure the health and well-being of the two giant pandas during their stay in the US, the American side has been actively preparing for their arrival, including upgrading and renovating the panda facilities to provide a safer and more comfortable living environment. Chinese experts have also provided technical guidance on the renovations, outlining standards and requirements for enclosure facilities, husbandry and management, food supplies, and health care, per Xinhua.

According to Xinhua, China-US cooperation on giant panda conservation is one of China's longest-running international wildlife conservation programs, involving the largest number of partner institutions and having a broad and far-reaching impact.

In 1994, the China Wildlife Conservation Association signed a cooperation agreement with the San Diego Zoo, marking the beginning of China-US cooperation on giant panda conservation. Over the past three decades, the partnership has produced a series of significant achievements. Researchers from both countries have conducted sustained joint studies in key areas including giant panda behavior, nutrition, veterinary medicine, reproductive biology, genetics and disease prevention and control, achieving important breakthroughs in breeding techniques and other fields.

Giant pandas living in the US have produced 17 surviving cubs in total - six in San Diego, four in Washington and seven in Atlanta. The birth of each cub has fueled waves of "panda fever" across the US, bringing joy to local communities while further deepening mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.

The new round of China-US international cooperation on giant panda conservation is expected to further advance collaboration in areas including the prevention and treatment of major panda diseases, scientific and technological exchanges, conservation of wild giant panda populations, and the development of the Giant Panda National Park. The cooperation is also expected to contribute to global biodiversity conservation and foster greater friendship between the peoples of the two countries, according to Xinhua.