New pair of pandas arrive in Australia

The pair of giant pandas Xing Qiu and Yi Lan arrived in Adelaide, South Australia, on Sunday morning, marking the start of a new phase in China-Australia panda conservation efforts.

The two giant pandas departed Southwest China's Sichuan Province for Australia on Saturday afternoon. Their trip was around 11 hours across approximately 8,800 kilometers, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Xing Qiu, a four-year-old male, and Yi Lan, a three-year-old female, both from the Dujiangyan base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, are set to settle at Adelaide Zoo for the next decade.

Li Dong, Chinese consul-general in Adelaide, said on Saturday that Chinese culture values that "joy alone is not as good as joy among all," and China is eager to share its love for giant pandas with Australia, Xinhua reported.

The pair of pandas will stay in the Bamboo Forest exhibit at Adelaide Zoo and be introduced to the public after a brief quarantine, according to a statement sent by the Adelaide Zoo to the Global Times on Sunday.

We've been in constant communication with our Chinese counterparts and after lots of discussion and careful consideration, Xing Qiu and Yi Lan were chosen as the best fit for Adelaide Zoo, it said.

The statement also noted that Xing Qiu and Yi Lan are both young pandas and were chosen with not only their ability to adapt to the Adelaide environment in mind but also their suitability as a breeding pair when they are older.

In a statement, Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said the federal government was proud to partner with the SA government and Zoos SA (which runs Adelaide Zoo) to make the pandas' arrival possible, according to Australian media ABC.

"I am looking forward to welcoming Xing Qiu and Yi Lan to Adelaide, and visiting the Adelaide Zoo with my daughters early next year, once the pandas are out of quarantine," Wong said, according to ABC.

The only pair of giant pandas in Australia, Wang Wang and Fu Ni, returned to China from Adelaide Zoo in November.

Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian said at a farewell reception for the pandas that over the past 15 years, China and Australia had achieved significant progress in panda conservation, disease prevention, and healthcare.

"We appreciate the fact that these national treasures of China say a lot about the friendship and relationships that exist between Australia and China, which are incredibly important," Dr Phil Ainsley, director of the Adelaide zoo, told the Global Times during a previous interview.