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July 17, 2025
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has engaged in panda diplomacy on the final day of his trip to China, but faces criticism for indulging in optics rather than serious statesmanship.
The final leg of the trip has been dominated by symbolic gestures as Mr Albanese visited the Chengdu Research Centre for Giant Panda Breeding on Thursday.
He posed for cameras in a Hawthorn Hawks jacket and praised the role of panda diplomacy in fostering bilateral ties.
“They’re very sensible, smart,” Mr Albanese told his guide after he was informed of the way pandas “get up early” and “move around outside”.
Reflecting on his encounter with Fu Ni—a giant panda that spent 15 years at Adelaide Zoo—Mr Albanese heaped praise on the Australia-China connection.
“It’s a really strong connection that is there... And the visit here has been very warmly received,” Mr Albanese told Sky News.
However, the diplomatic visit has faced heavy criticism as Mr Albanese avoided broaching any serious issues between the Australian and Chinese governments.
This was despite his government’s oft-repeated claim that “We will disagree (with China) where we must, and engage in the national interest”.
"What we discuss... is issues of today and tomorrow rather than the past," he said at a press conference in Chengdu.
In the past months, China has conducted live fire military exercises near Australian waters, sent a spy ship to trawl the coastline and dropped flares in front of an RAAF plane.
Throughout the trip though, Mr Albanese avoided clashing with Chinese President Xi Jinping over the Darwin Port, China’s support for Russia or recent military drills near Australian waters.
Instead, he dined with President Xi, watched a Chinese rendition of Paul Kelly and Midnight Oil songs, and walked the Great Wall of China.
The opposition condemned the approach, accusing Mr Albanese of indulging in nostalgia and failing to secure substantive outcomes.
Shadow finance minister James Paterson told Sky News on Thursday that the “tangible outcomes” of the trip were “very hard to identify”.
“I do wonder whether… a visit to Chengdu to pose with some pandas…. is strictly necessary as part of a six-day visit to China,” he said.
“There is so much else at stake in our other international relationships. Frankly, I have to say that some of this is starting to look a little bit indulgent.”
He also criticised the prioritisation of symbolism over diplomacy after Mr Albanese traced Gough Whitlam’s steps along the Great Wall of China from 1971.
“The appropriate time to do a nostalgic history tour of Labor Party mythology is after you retire, in your own time, at your own expense, not on the taxpayer dime.”
Mr Albanese rejected the criticism and said his trip was "worthwhile" given agreements that were signed on trade and tourism.
"I want to see a stronger relationship. I want to see more agreement and less disagreement," he said.
"Will there be a circumstance when there is no disagreements? No, because we have different political systems, we have different cultures.
"Obviously, things will occur over a period of time that you have to deal with."