Premier Li Qiang visited the Adelaide Zoo for China-Australia cooperation on panda protection and research on Sunday, saying the cooperation between the two countries can cross the vast Pacific Ocean, transcend differences, and achieve win-win results.
Li was accompanied by Governor of South Australia Frances Adamson, Premier of South Australia Peter Malinauskas, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell.
Adelaide Zoo is the only Australian zoo that keeps giant pandas.
At the Panda Pavilion in Adelaide Zoo, Li heard reports by both Chinese and Australian experts on the cooperative giant panda conservation project between the two countries and the keeping of giant pandas in Australia.
Li said that Adelaide Zoo has the only pair of giant pandas in the Southern Hemisphere, Wang Wang and Fu Ni. He said he is glad to see that although far away from their homeland, Wang Wang and Fu Ni have been well looked after and settled down to live a happy life in Australia.
He said the two pandas have become envoys of friendship between China and Australia, and a symbol of the profound friendship between the two peoples.
Li said the success of the project indicates that with the dedicated care of both sides, the China-Australia cooperation can cross the vast Pacific Ocean, transcends various differences, make accomplishments to each other and achieve win-win results.
The Chinese government has taken a host of measures over the years to conserve giant pandas and achieved remarkable progress, making a positive contribution to the global endeavor to protect bio-diversity and endangered wildlife, he said.
Noting that Wang Wang and Fu Ni will return to China this year as agreed by the two sides, Li said China is ready to continue cooperation with Australia on panda protection and research, and hopes that Australia will always be a friendly home for giant pandas.
Local primary school pupils sang songs on panda in Chinese for Li, who had a cordial chat with them.
Li invited them to visit China to see the birthplace and habitat of giant pandas, appreciate China’s landscape and Chinese culture, and try to become little envoys of the friendship between China and Australia.
(CCTV+)
