Opposition accuses PM of ‘indulgent' trip as Albanese tours panda facility
Nevertheless, the prime minister leapt headlong into China's game of panda diplomacy on Thursday.
At the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding, Albanese was treated to a tour of black-and-white icons big and small, mostly in their relatively sedate state, that explains their reluctance to breed.
'This guy is clearly feeling the friendship between Australia and China as well,' Albanese said, peering into an enclosure with fiancee Jodie Haydon. 'He's very chill.'
'They are much loved in Australia, and they are also great ambassadors for China and a great sign of friendship.'
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China uses its pandas as a soft-power tool, leasing them to zoos in countries with which the nation is on good diplomatic terms.
The US received some after the landmark 1972 'Nixon to China' moment.
From the 1980s, it started leasing rather than selling them, often linking the deals to strategic moves on trade.
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