China’s Premier Li Qiang announced on Sunday that China will give Australia a new pair of giant pandas. He made the announcement during a visit to Adelaide Zoo at the start of his four-day trip to Australia, as reported by Australian public broadcaster ABC. The new pandas will be sent to Southern Australia’s zoo after the current pair return to China later this year, according to Chinese state media.
Li’s visit to Australia marks the first by a Chinese premier in seven years. This gesture comes after Beijing lifted high tariffs on Australian wines and removed barriers on barley, timber, and coal. These measures were initially imposed after then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an international inquiry into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic in China in 2020.
Since the Labor party took over in Australia in 2022, relations between the two countries have improved.
China is Australia’s biggest trading partner, responsible for nearly a third of its international trade, as per the Australian government. At the same time, Australia’s commodities are crucial for China as it works to boost its slowing economy.
China lends pandas to more than 20 countries as symbols of friendship from Beijing, a practice known as “panda diplomacy” that often reflects the state of relations.
Wang Wang and Fu Ni, the only pandas in the southern hemisphere, have been on loan to Adelaide Zoo since November 2009. In 2019, a deal was made to extend their stay for another five years, according to China’s state-run news agency Xinhua.
Li, China’s second-highest official, expressed happiness that “Wang Wang and Fu Ni have been well cared for and have settled into a happy life in Australia,” as stated by China’s Foreign Ministry. He described them as ambassadors of friendship between China and Australia, symbolizing the strong bond between their peoples.