STORY: New pair of giant pandas make debut in South Australia
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 21, 2025
DATELINE: Jan. 22, 2025
LENGTH: 00:02:51
LOCATION: ADELAIDE, Australia
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Adelaide Zoo
2. various of pandas in the zoo
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): XIAO QIAN, Chinese ambassador to Australia
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): PETER MALINAUSKAS, Premier of South Australia
5. various of visitors at the zoo

STORYLINE:

A new pair of giant pandas, and the only ones in the Southern Hemisphere, made debut on Tuesday in Adelaide, capital of South Australia (SA), following their arrival from China last month.

The SA government held an affectionate welcoming 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 a week ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Going through their quarantine period, the two giant pandas, four-year-old male Xingqiu and three-year-old female Yilan, are settling in well at the bamboo forest in Adelaide, about 7,500 km from their hometown, 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 exchanges, and symbolize the profound friendship between the peoples.

Amity between the people holds the key to sound state-to-state relations, Xiao said, adding he hopes the two adorable pandas will live happily here, grow their family, and become new ambassadors to carry forward the friendship between the two peoples.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): XIAO QIAN, Chinese ambassador to Australia
"We expect both our countries and two peoples will work closely with each other, focus on common grounds, focus on consensus, continue to cooperate where we have been cooperating, and explore the new frontiers where we might tap into some new cooperation opportunities, just like the pandas exploring this beautiful park and they're just finding this place more enjoyable."

Citing people desperate to get in to witness the pandas, Premier of SA Peter Malinauskas said, "It was a magnificent moment because it was very much a symbol, not just of the pandas and their beauty, but in many ways a representation of the importance of the relationship between Australia and China."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): PETER MALINAUSKAS, Premier of South Australia
"It was a magnificent moment because it was very much a symbol, not just of the pandas and their beauty, but in many ways a representation of the importance of the relationship between Australia and China."

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.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Adelaide, Australia.
(XHTV)