China will lend Australia a new pair of giant pandas, the Chinese premier announced. Li Qiang also called for the “search for common ground” between the two countries.
China will lend Australia a new pair of giant pandas, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang announced this Sunday, who also called for the “search for common ground” between both countries.
The loan of two giant pandas, Wang Wang and Fu Ni, to Adelaide Zoo in South Australia, agreed in 2009, will soon end, in a practice also known as “panda diplomacy.”
“Wang Wang and Fu Ni have been away from home for 15 years. I think they missed home a lot and that’s why they will return to China before the end of the year,” Li Qiang said at the zoo, the first stop on his visit to Australia.
“But what I can say is that we will provide a new pair of equally beautiful, charming and adorable pandas as soon as possible,” the prime minister said, adding that Beijing will present a list of candidates in Canberra.
“It is good for the economy, for jobs in the [estado da] South Australia is a symbol of goodwill for tourism and we are grateful for that,” said Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, which works in the field of environmental protection, around 1,860 giant pandas remain, mainly in the bamboo forests of the mountainous regions of China.
Thanks to conservation programs, the International Union for Conservation of Nature removed the panda from the “endangered” category at the end of 2016. However, it is still listed as vulnerable on the red list of threatened species.
After visiting the zoo, Li Qiang had lunch at Penfolds Magill Estate in Adelaide, a restaurant in the wine sector, one of the most affected by trade tensions between the two countries.
In March, China lifted the customs tariffs imposed on Australian wine in 2020, which greatly affected exports to the Asian country, which reached 1.2 billion Australian dollars (742 million euros) per year.
“In the last month, since the wine ban was lifted, we have sold A$86 million. [53 milhões de euros] in wine to China,” said Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell today.
“Relations between China and Australia have returned to normal after a period of turmoil, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both countries,” Li Qiang said, according to a statement from the Chinese embassy.
“History has shown that mutual respect, seeking common ground, putting aside differences and cooperation… is an important step towards the development of China-Australia relations,” he added.
The visit of the senior Chinese official to Australia is the second leg of a diplomatic tour of Oceania that first took him to New Zealand.
Source: Observadora
