A pair of giant pandas made their debut on Tuesday in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia (SA), following their arrival from China last month - becoming the only giant pandas residing in the southern hemisphere.
The SA government held a welcome ceremony for the public to meet the black-and-white duo in the Adelaide Zoo, attended by Australian panda fans, wildlife lovers, international tourists, conservationists, officials and dignitaries from both China and Australia.
Having been quarantined for a time, the two giant pandas, four-year-old male Xingqiu and three-year-old female Yilan, are now settling in well at their bamboo forest enclosure in Adelaide about 7,500 km from their original home in southwest China's Sichuan Province, according to the zoo.
Chinese ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian said the Chinese values of harmony, inclusiveness and openness could be seen in pandas, which reflect the aspirations of the Chinese and Australian peoples for friendship and exchange, and symbolize the profound friendship between the peoples.
"The new pair of giant pandas here symbolize the continued cooperation between the two sides in panda conservation. I also believe, at a time when China-Australia relations are undergoing a comprehensive turnaround, the duo will make a contribution to enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the people of our two countries, and to promoting the overall development of our bilateral relations," said Xiao.
The pandas will spend the next 10 years at Adelaide Zoo, replacing the previous pair Wangwang and Funi, who returned to China in November 2024 after 15 years in Australia, drawing more than 5 million visitors during their stay.
"I'm really pleased to see them because I will never get to China to see one. So it's good to be able to come here and support the panda conservation by coming and seeing them myself," said Fay Merrigan, a visitor to the zoo sporting a headband with a pair of panda ears.
Adelaide Zoo prepared for the arrival of the pandas by trimming trees and upgrading the irrigation system in the bamboo forest enclosure.
The zoo's director Phil Ainsley even led a team in December to visit and spend time with Xingqiu and Yilan, learning about them from the panda experts at the Dujiangyan Panda Base in Sichuan ahead of the pair's arrival in Australia on Dec 15, 2024.
"We've had a shared learning and now our keeping staff and our vets are very confident that we have all of the skills required to make sure that we can care for and that Yilan and Xingqiu remain very healthy pandas going into the future," said Ainsley.
"These two have different personalities. So we are learning what Xingqiu and Yilan love, don't like and what bamboos they really like. So we are learning what they like, and from there we can make changes to how we work with them," said Arliah Hayward, senior keeper at Adelaide Zoo.
Pair of giant pandas make debut in South Australia
NPC Deputies from east China's Jiangsu Province vowed to make greater contributions to the overall development of the nation after Chinese President Xi Jinping joined them in group deliberations on Thursday.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, took part in the deliberation with his fellow deputies from Jiangsu during the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature.
During the discussions, deputies from various sectors shared their experiences and spoke on a wide range of topics, including agriculture, technological and industrial innovation, education and talent training, and rural governance.
"I felt extremely excited today to be able to meet face-to-face with the General Secretary and report to him on Huai'an's economic and social development over the past two years. In recent years, we have vigorously cultivated the development of the crayfish industry in line with the requirements for developing local specialty products. In Xuyi County, one-sixth of the population is engaged in this profession. When I reported to the General Secretary a moment ago, I shared some good news with him. The 'Xuyi No. 1' crayfish has achieved growth of more than 18 percent in both yield per mu (about 0.067 hectare) and individual weight. Crayfish farming has provided more employment opportunities for our labor force and promoted income growth for residents," said Shi Zhijun, secretary of the CPC Huai'an Municipal Committee.
"I reported to the General Secretary on the integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation. The General Secretary attached great care for Soochow University. For our emerging industries and future industries, one important focus is developing commercial aerospace. We are now working together with industry partners to address this issue, hoping that Soochow University will achieve coordinated development with Suzhou's social economy in the future, and make greater contributions particularly to developing new quality productive forces," said Zhang Xiaohong, Party Secretary of Soochow University.
"I reported to the General Secretary on the achievements our team has made in breeding wheat resistant to Fusarium head blight. We have successively developed highly resistant varieties including Yangmai 33 and Yangmai 53, covering two directions of high-quality wheat development. Chinese bowls must be filled with Chinese grain. We must continue our efforts to ensure stable growth of national grain production and guarantee food security," said Gao Derong, a researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences for Lixiahe Region under the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
"Today, I feel extremely honored and excited to report to the General Secretary on the changes and development of our Desheng Village over the years. The General Secretary inquired about Party organization building, industrial development, social development, and environmental governance. For rural areas, we must first develop industries so that people can benefit substantially from this process. Meanwhile, the building of civilized rural customs must be advanced in parallel," said Yang Hengjun, head of Desheng's village committee.
In the deliberation, Xi has called on economic powerhouses like Jiangsu to redouble efforts to gain experience in analyzing new situations and solving new problems.
Deputies say they will implement the General Secretary's instructions and strive to make new achievements. "Today, the General Secretary, on the one hand, spoke positively of Jiangsu's contributions as an economic powerhouse, shouldering heavy responsibilities during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. On the other hand, he put forward new requirements for Jiangsu in terms of developing new quality productive forces in line with local conditions to enhance economic resilience, and in continuously strengthening common prosperity for the people. As an NPC deputy, I will earnestly study and implement the General Secretary's important instructions upon my return, so that Huai'an's modernization process can advance on a more solid foundation," Shi said.
"Universities, especially research universities, as national strategic scientific and technological forces, must do well in basic research and application. As an important base for talent cultivation, we must establish mechanisms for integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, and cultivate top innovative talents. We will implement the General Secretary's instructions through these efforts," Zhang said.
NPC deputies from Jiangsu vow to make greater contributions in national development
