What is Panda diplomacy?
Giant pandas come from central China. China gives or lends these pandas to other countries as a friendly gesture or soft diplomacy. This is called 'panda diplomacy.' This tradition started many years ago and continues today.
The USA got its first panda from China in 1972. However, by 1984, panda diplomacy had changed. Instead of giving pandas as gifts, China started lending them. This helped China improve its global image and build trust with other countries.
The countries that got pandas agreed to pay money each year for them. And if any baby pandas were born in other countries, they had to be returned to China.
Why is Panda diplomacy in the news again?
In 2023, China brought back some pandas from the US and the United Kingdom (UK) when its relations were not too good with the West. Now, China is sending pandas to the San Diego Zoo, USA. This is the first time in over twenty years that pandas are being sent to the US.
Also, China's Wildlife Conservation Association signed agreements with the Zoo Aquarium de Madrid in Spain to lend them pandas. Some people worried that China's panda diplomacy with Western countries was ending because of different problems.
The zoos and China's Wildlife Conservation Association will work together to study preventing diseases, saving habitats, and creating a panda park in China. China hopes to improve its relationship with the West, especially the USA, through panda diplomacy.
However, panda diplomacy has faced criticism.
What criticism has Panda diplomacy received?
Some people think it's too expensive to borrow pandas from China. China's unfriendly image internationally might also be making fewer countries interested in panda diplomacy.
However, the money China makes from lending to pandas is used for conservation research. This has helped take pandas off the endangered species list, but they're still at risk.
