Pandas, as adorable and rare animals, have been used as a diplomatic tool by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since the 1970s, leased to other countries as a gesture of friendship. However, with the deterioration of US-China relations, the CCP has been recalling pandas leased to American zoos. Just as panda diplomacy seemed to be coming to an end, China proposed sending a pair of pandas to the United States again, sparking opposition from some quarters.
The China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas recently published a statement alleging that more than ten individuals spread false information about panda abuse at the Dujiangyan and Shensuping bases in Sichuan. Some even followed, filmed, and insulted experts at the panda center, circulating their portraits online to incite cyberbullying.
In February last year, Chinese media reported that pandas Ya Ya and Le Le at the Memphis Zoo in the United States were in poor condition and suspected of being abused. “Ya Ya” in the photos appeared emaciated. Despite differing opinions and the difficulty in discerning truth from falsehood, this incident has stirred discontent among some Chinese people.
Now, the CCP has decided to lease new pandas to the United States for a period of ten years, with plans to send them to the National Zoo in the country this year, leading to protests from “panda conservationists.” However, officials have explained that pandas in the US will not be mistreated.
Wang Jianqiang, a resident of Chengdu, Sichuan (alias), told a reporter from Dajiyuan, “The common folks causing these troubles don’t know the truth. In reality, they don’t understand that the work staff explained there are specialized panda research and conservation institutions in the US with better environmental conditions. Pandas aren’t lent for free; each panda brings in money, with each panda earning at least $1 million per year. The CCP uses pandas to show weakness, display friendliness, and even make money. Therefore, the protests of these common folks are futile.”
Since November last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping publicly expressed willingness to continue cooperation with the United States in giant panda conservation during his attendance at a joint banquet hosted by American friendly groups in San Francisco. This move was seen by observers as the CCP wanting to use panda diplomacy to ease tensions in US-China relations.
Previously, due to continued strain in US-China diplomatic relations and the expiration of lease agreements, the number of pandas in American zoos has been dwindling. Three pandas from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. returned to China in November last year.
On May 30th this year, CCP state media reported on a new round of panda diplomacy with the United States. It was reported that the China Wildlife Conservation Association and the National Zoo of the Smithsonian Institution in the US signed an agreement recently on international cooperation for the conservation research of giant pandas.
The CCP official acknowledged that since the 1990s, the Chinese government has engaged in panda diplomacy with 20 countries. This time, the China Wildlife Conservation Association has initiated a new round of cooperation with the Madrid Zoo in Spain, San Diego Zoo in the US, National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and Tiergarten Schönbrunn Zoo in Austria. Once again, China is conducting international diplomacy through pandas.
Journalist Li Yiming remarked to Dajiyuan on June 19th, “In an effort to salvage its declining economy, the CCP is eager to show goodwill to the US, attempting to improve relations through means such as leasing pandas. However, the US is unlikely to relax its comprehensive containment of the CCP due to such displays of weakness. The CCP’s efforts in this regard are in vain.”
China’s “panda diplomacy” began in the 1950s when giant pandas were given as national gifts to countries with good diplomatic relations with the Chinese regime and those that Beijing sought to establish relations with, including the Soviet Union, North Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan, among nine countries. This included the visit of pandas Xing Xing and Ling Ling to the US in 1972 facilitated by President Nixon’s visit to China, making headlines in the mainstream American media at that time. After 1982, due to international conservation laws protecting endangered species, China could no longer gift pandas and instead shifted to leasing them under the guise of collaboration.