Pandas Wang Wang and Fu Ni have been living in Australia since 2009. They have been away from home for fifteen years. “I think they miss their home very much, so they will return to China before the end of the year,” Chinese Premier Li Qiang said during a visit to the Adelaide Zoo. “But I can tell you that we will introduce a new pair of beautiful, cute and adorable pandas as soon as possible.”
China only lends rare animals to friendly countries. This panda trade is also called panda diplomacy. So the arrival of a new couple is good news for Australia. The country is trying to stabilize its relationship with China after it deteriorated under the previous government.
Important step
Li is the first Chinese prime minister to visit Australia since 2017, when relations between the two countries began to deteriorate. China is Australia's most important trading partner. The diplomatic row culminated in Chinese sanctions in 2020 on Australian products such as coal, timber, barley, beef and lobster. These sanctions have been gradually lifted since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government took power two years ago. The current government takes a less harsh stance towards China.
Australian Finance Minister Jim Chalmers described Li's visit as an “important step” in relations with China. Li, China's second most powerful man, called for “putting aside differences” at the start of his four-day tour of Australia. Lee and Albanese will meet on Monday. They then discuss behind closed doors foreign influences, human rights and China's military presence in the region.
