A plane carrying giant pandas Xingqiu and Yilan arrives in Adelaide, capital of South Australia, Australia, Dec. 15, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Australian officials have welcomed South Australia's new pair of giant pandas, describing their arrival as evidence of the country's strengthening relationship with China.

Four-year-old male Xingqiu and three-year-old female Yilan arrived in Adelaide, capital of South Australia (SA), on a flight from China's Sichuan Province on Sunday morning local time, becoming the only giant pandas in the Southern Hemisphere.

The pandas will spend the next 10 years at Adelaide Zoo, replacing the previous pair Wangwang and Funi -- who returned to China in November after 15 years in Australia.

Hailing the arrival of Xingqiu and Yilan, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, an Adelaide local, said the pandas would bring joy to tourists from across Australia and overseas and provide a boost for SA's tourism sector.

The two pandas will spend one month in quarantine before being moved into the Adelaide Zoo's Bamboo Forest enclosure, which has been upgraded in anticipation of their arrival.

"I am looking forward to welcoming Xingqiu and Yilan to Adelaide, and visiting the Adelaide Zoo with my daughters early next year, once the pandas are out of quarantine," said the Australian foreign minister in a joint media release with the Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell, Deputy SA Premier Susan Close and state Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison.

"I know families have enjoyed coming to see the pandas at Adelaide Zoo just like my family has," said Farrell in the media release. He hoped to see a spike in visitors coming to see "such majestic creatures" up close.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Australia, which has a very special significance, Li Dong, Chinese consul-general in Adelaide, said at the press conference welcoming the giant pandas on Sunday.

The Chinese diplomat said the new round of giant panda cooperation will last for 10 years, during which he looked forward to a better prospect for cooperation in various fields between China and Australia.

"I hope everyone will become good friends with Xingqiu and Yilan, and work together to protect the cooperation and exchanges between China and Australia, and between China and South Australia," Li said.

Close said that many South Australians are thrilled to have an ongoing panda presence at Adelaide Zoo.

She told reporters at the press conference on Sunday that the arrival of the pandas is an example of the renewed strength of friendship between Australia and China.

The arrival of the pandas came days after China Southern Airlines returned to SA with the resumption of its direct round-trip services between Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, and Adelaide for the first time since 2020.

Bettison said that with the return of the flights and the arrival of the pandas, the connection between the state and China is stronger than ever.

"Our relationship with China is incredibly important. That direct aviation link, reinstated after COVID, is a big game-changer for us," she said at the zoo.

In 2009, two pandas, Wangwang and Funi, began their stay at Adelaide Zoo. As the only giant pandas in the Southern Hemisphere, they drew more than 5 million visitors in 15 years until this November when they returned to China.

Building on the success of past cooperation, the new partnership will further advance collaboration in areas such as breeding research, disease prevention, public education and cultural exchange. This initiative aims to strengthen research efforts and foster closer people-to-people ties between China and Australia.

"This is such an exciting new chapter for giant pandas in Australia, and we look forward to learning all about Yilan and Xingqiu's personalities, likes and dislikes," Director of Adelaide Zoo Phil Ainsley said in a statement issued on Sunday.

"So we can't wait to see what is in store during this new giant panda era and for the next generation of South Australians to grow up with Yilan and Xingqiu, hopefully sparking a love for their species and conservation into the future."

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