REMARKS BY PRIME MINISTER AT SICHUAN ZOO,.
CHENGDU : 21 MAY 1986
CHINA HAS ACCORDED AUSTRALIA A GREAT HONOUR IN ANNOUNCING
4 THAT IT WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE CELEBRATION OF AUSTRALIA'S
BiCENTENARY BY PERMITTING US TO DISPLAY IN AUSTRALIA A
PAIR OF RARE AND APPEALING GIANT PANDAS.
THE AUSTRALIAN PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF HOW PRECIOUS THE GIANT)
PANDA IS NOT ONLY TO THE CHINESE PEOPLE BUT TO PEOPLE ALL
OVER THE WORLD. WE ARE VERY AWARE OF THE MASSIVE RESCUE
MEASURES TAKEN BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TO SAVE PANDAS
FROM STARVATION WITH THE WIDESPREAD DEATH OF BAMBOO IN
THE MOUNTAINS. FOR YOU TO CONTRIBUTE SO GENEROUSLY TO
* OUR BiCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS MARKS THE STRENGTH AND WARMTH
OF THE RELATIONS THAT HAVE DEVELOPED BETWEEN OUR TWO
COUNTRIES. IN AUSTRALIA WE SHARE YOUR CONCERN AND THAT OF ORGANISATIONS
SUCH AS THE WORLD WILD LIFE FUND FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE
GIANT PANDA AND IWANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE WILL TAKE ALL
NECESSARY STEPS TO ENSURE THE SAFETYj COMFORT AND WELL
BEING OF THE PANDAS DURING THEIR JOURNEY TO AND FROM OURCOUNTRY
AND WHILE THEY ARE IN AUSTRALIA. THERE IS PRESENTLY
AN AUSTRALIAN DELEGATION FROM OUR WILDLIFE AUTHORITY IN
CHINA DISCUSSING ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CARE AND NURTURE OF
THE PANDAS WITH THE RELEVANT CHINESE AUTHORITIES.
2.
MANY ACTIVITIES WILL CLAIM THE ATTENTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN
PEOPLE DURING 1988. OUR YEAR OF CELEBRATION WILL BEGIN
WITH A SPECTACULAR OPENING CEREMONY. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
THERE WILL BE WORLD CLASS EXHIBITIONS AND PERFORMANCES,
A GATHERING FROM AROUND THE WORLD OF TALL SHIPS, THE
OPENING OF AUSTRALIA'S NEW PARLIAMENT HOUSE, A WORLD
EXPOSITION, AT WHICH CHINA WILL BE A PARTICIPANT, AND MANY
INTERNATIONAL SPORTING EVENTS. YET I CAN PREDICT THAT FOR
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF AUSTRALIANS THE EXHIBITION OF GIANT
PANDAS WILL BE A HIGHLIGHT.
JUST AS WE HAVE TRAVELLED ACROSS CHINA TODAY TO SICHUAN
PROVINCE TO VIEW THE PANDAS AT THIS ZOO, THE AUSTRALIAN
PEOPLE WILL TRAVEL FROM THE DISTANT CORNERS OF OUR
CONTINENT TO SEE THIS MOST TREASURED SPECIES OF ALL
ANIMALS WHICH HAS BECOME THE INTERNATIONAL SYMBOL FOR THE
CONSERVATION OF NATURE.
IT IS WITH THE HIGHEST SENSE OF THE GREAT HONOUR THAT YOU
ACCORD AUSTRALIA THAT I MOST GRATEFULLY ACCEPT THIS OFFER
OF A PAIR OF GIANT PANDAS FOR EXHIBITION IN AUSTRALIA DURING
OUR BICENTENARY YEAR CELEBRATIONS IN 1988,