Kuala Lumpur, Oct 31 — China's panda diplomacy now appears to be losing its influence, with public interest in panda-hosting zoos tending to plateau once the novelty wears off. Meanwhile, conservationists have stepped up criticism of the commercialisation and diplomatic use of this vulnerable species, a report has stated.
More importantly for Beijing, political analysts and lawmakers increasingly regard panda loans as more of a “charming distraction” than a meaningful indicator of bilateral relations. This helps explain why Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent “gift” to Zoo Atlanta received little attention from the US media, according to a report in 'Free Malaysia Today' (FMT).
“During his recent visit to Washington, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China would send a breeding pair of giant pandas to Zoo Atlanta. The ‘envoys of friendship’, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, arrived just a few days later. This is hardly the first time China has used its iconic bear as an instrument of soft power. By loaning the animals to overseas zoos, it seeks to project an image of China not as a threatening dragon, but rather as a tough but cuddly charmer,” the report detailed.
“But perhaps the true message of this ‘panda diplomacy’ lies in the manipulation and exploitation it embodies. For starters, while China claims the familiar black-and-white bear as its mascot, one of the species’ primary natural habitats is Wolong, which sits on the steep edge of the Tibetan Plateau,” it added.
According to the report, China has sought to systematically dismantle Tibet’s cultural identity since it annexed the resource-rich region in 1950-51, incorporating the Plateau’s unique landscape, wildlife and natural wealth into the mainstream Chinese national narrative.
It noted that China’s appropriation of other cultures extends even to cherry-tree cultivation, which it has claimed originated not in Japan or Korea, but in “China’s Himalayan highlands” — referring to Tibet.
“The Tibetan Plateau is home to the endangered red panda, a house-cat-sized mammal with a long, bushy tail, in addition to giant pandas, which are classified as a vulnerable species. There are fewer than 2,000 giant pandas left in the wild, and China claims ownership of almost all of them. This brings us to the second dubious element of China’s panda diplomacy: it is based on a lucrative 'rent-a-panda-pair' programme,” the report mentioned.
It stated that with the number of countries participating in active panda-leasing programmes falling from 21 in 2019 to just 16 today, even Chinese state media are questioning whether panda diplomacy has lost its sparkle.
“While captive-bred pandas introduced into the wild tend to die because they lack critical survival skills, wild pandas can be aggressive and dangerous. In this sense, perhaps pandas really are an accurate symbol of China: even when it appears harmless, it cannot conceal its teeth,” the report highlighted.