China's decision to export its unique brand of furry diplomacy to Canada may signal a new era in relations between the two countries, one expert says.

Chinese officials and news agencies are reporting that Prime Minister Stephen Harper will finalize the loan agreement for giant pandas when he is in the country next week, in addition to discussing important energy agreements.

"China rations out these pandas based on how they feel about you," said Charles Burton, a political science professor at Brock University and former Canadian diplomat to China.

"Now that we are saying that we would like to pipe any oil that we can't pipe south to the United States to China, they see us as an important country and would like to engender closer relations and there's no better way to get good will than to deliver pandas to Canada."

Burton told CTV News Channel that U.S. delays in approving the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta to Texas have forced Harper to look elsewhere to sell Canada's oil.

Those overtures have been well received in Beijing, he said.

If the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline to the West Coast is approved, Canadian bitumen could easily find its way to China.

During his five-day trip to China, Harper will travel to Beijing, Guangzhou and possibly Chongquing.

Harper will be accompanied by a delegation of Canadian business leaders and is expected to speak to the Canada-China Business Forum in Beijing.

It is expected that Harper and Chinese President Hu Jintao will sign a number of broad trade and investment agreements.

According to reports, zoos in Calgary, Toronto and Granby, Que. would each play host to two giant pandas that would rotate between the three locations.

Burton said China has been using pandas as a sort of diplomatic currency for hundreds of years.

However, Harper may have succeeded where former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau failed.

In 1973, a few years after resuming diplomatic relations with Beijing, Trudeau travelled to China with two pairs of beavers destined for a Chinese zoo.

Instead of returning with pandas, however, Trudeau returned with a Chinese elk.

"We didn't get the A-list return gift that time, but this time it looks like Mr. Harper will be able to do something Mr. Trudeau was not," Burton said.