Giant Panda Swap Marks Chinese Premier’s Visit to Australia

On June 16, 2024, Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced a panda swap at Adelaide Zoo, South Australia. This announcement coincided with Li’s four-day visit, the first by a Chinese premier to Australia in seven years. The swap involves the return of giant pandas Wang Wang and Fu Ni to China by the end of 2024, and their replacement with a new pair. The pandas have resided at the zoo since 2009 as part of an international breeding program but did not produce offspring.

Adelaide Zoo’s director, Dr. Phil Ainsley, expressed enthusiasm over the continuation of the collaborative partnership. Over their 15-year stay, the conservation status of giant pandas has improved from “endangered” to “vulnerable.”

Li’s visit follows the easing of trade restrictions between China and Australia, including lifting high tariffs on Australian wines and removing barriers on barley, timber, and coal. Despite these developments, the visit was marked by demonstrations from both pro-Communist supporters and human rights activists, including representatives from the Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women’s Association, who criticized the panda diplomacy as a diversion from human rights issues in China.

The panda loan is part of China’s broader “panda diplomacy” initiative, which loans pandas to over 20 countries as symbols of goodwill.