Premier Li Qiang said on Sunday that China will loan a new pair of giant pandas to Australia to continue with the cooperative research on the conservation of the globally loved animal as he visited Adelaide Zoo in Adelaide, South Australia.

Li arrived in Adelaide on Saturday, kicking off an official visit to Australia.

The Adelaide Zoo is home to Wang Wang (born October 31, 2005) and Fu Ni (born August 23, 2006), the giant pandas who were relocated from China's Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan province in 2009.

The pair, the only giant pandas in the southern hemisphere, were on loan for 10 years as part of a giant panda breeding program, but have not bred after several unsuccessful attempts by the zoo.

The initial 10-year loan was renewed in 2019 with funding from the South Australian government. The extension was due to expire at the end of the year.