News Desk

**Pandas Will Improve Australia-China Relationship**

Beijing Offers Pandas to Australia to Repair Relationship

**By BBC News**
**June 11, 2024 | 26,830 likes**

Could pandas be the unlikely solution to improving relations between China and Australia? China’s Premier Li Qiang believes so, as he has offered to send Australia two new pandas during his visit to Adelaide Zoo. The new pandas will replace the zoo’s existing bears, Wang Wang and Fu Ni, who have been hailed as “friendly messengers of China-Australia relations,” according to Mr. Li.

Premier Li’s visit to Australia marks the first by a Chinese leader in seven years, indicating a positive shift in the diplomatic ties between the two nations. His four-day trip signifies a step towards mending the strained relations and fostering goodwill through cultural and wildlife diplomacy.

While the panda gesture symbolizes a warming relationship, significant differences remain. Key issues include the removal of remaining trade barriers and the release of Australian democracy blogger Yang Hengjun. Yang was arrested at Guangzhou airport in 2019 and later sentenced to a suspended death sentence on espionage charges. These unresolved matters continue to cast a shadow over the otherwise improving bilateral relations.

As the two countries navigate their complex relationship, the introduction of new pandas serves as a hopeful sign of mutual interest in building stronger connections through shared cultural and environmental initiatives.

Courtesy: BBC News