France to receive new pandas from China after Macron-Xi meeting
France will receive a new pair of giant pandas in 2027, a display of Beijing’s panda diplomacy announced just as President Emmanuel Macron is in China to meet with his counterpart Xi Jinping.
The China Wildlife Conservation Association said it has reached an agreement with France’s Beauval Zoo to extend their panda conservation partnership for 10 years, according to its WeChat statement on Thursday.
France’s previous pandas, Huan Huan and Yuan Zi, returned to China in November 2025, while their twin cubs, Huan Lili and Yuan Dudu, remain in France. A new panda pair will be sent to Beauval Zoo in 2027 under the agreement.
China’s use of giant pandas as diplomatic ambassadors dates back to the 1950s. Originally offered as gifts to countries Beijing wanted closer ties with, pandas are now almost always loaned out under conservation programs that last about a decade. Host zoos care for the animals and pay fees that support panda conservation efforts back in China.
Macron is spending the final day of his three-day visit in Chengdu, where he and Xi have highlighted cultural and environmental cooperation even as deeper economic and political issues remain unresolved. A day earlier in Beijing, the two leaders discussed trade, investment and the war in Ukraine – but the results so far appear limited.
Xi offered warm words about peace, but also said Beijing “firmly opposes any irresponsible or discriminatory accusations” – a reference to Western nations that have accused China of siding with Russia in its war against Ukraine.
No major commercial agreements emerged from the visit so far, aside from broad commitments to deepen cooperation in niche areas such as dehydrated alfalfa exports. Chinese tariffs on European dairy and pork – including French products – remain a threat, and while cognac makers won partial relief earlier this year, smaller producers say they’re still feeling the squeeze.
During the trip, Macron urged China to increase investment in France as a way to rebalance economic ties and narrow a persistent trade gap. He argued that Europe needs a clearer framework to attract Chinese investment, warning that China’s widening trade surplus with the world is becoming unsustainable while investment into Europe remains too low.
Xi, for his part, said he supports Chinese companies investing in France, calling the country an “indispensable” trade partner.
Europe is wrestling with how to handle Chinese investment more broadly. Governments want the economic benefits but also worry about strategic dependencies and uneven gains.
Countries fear missing out if they don’t compete for Chinese investment, even as they share concerns about the risks, said Ilaria Mazzocco, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “It’s a bit of a prisoner’s dilemma,” she said.