Trip fuels talk of new panda loan

President Xi Jinping's two-day visit to South Korea has sparked media speculation that China will loan a pair of pandas to the country.

During talks with his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye on Thursday, Xi said China upholds that relevant institutes of both sides should proceed with joint panda research to deepen the friendship of the two peoples.

As China is considering loaning the panda pair, a source at Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan province said the pandas might come from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.