Panda diplomacy can be traced back to the sovereignty of Empress Wu Zetian, also known as Wu Zhao. It is believed that the Chinese empress delivered a pair of pandas to the Japanese emperor during the Tang Dynasty.

After years of hiatus, the practice has been revived in 1950s where the Chinese communist party utilizes pandas as gifts to foster fresh relationships with other nations. In 1972, in exchange of two musk oxen, President Nixon received two pandas after his visit to China. The pandas’ presence in Washington’s National Zoo garnered over 1 million visitors in the first year. Due to the pandas’ popularity, Prime Minister Edward Heath offered a home for pandas at the London Zoo in 1974. Between 1957 and 1982, there were already twenty-three pandas in nine countries.

However, in 1984, the tradition has been broken—pandas’ diplomatic function no longer live up to it entirely. This time, China lends pandas to other countries on an exclusive ten-year loan for breeding and biological research. The loan comes with USD 1,000,000 annual fee and a condition that any offspring born on the duration of the loan is considered China’s property. By 1998, the United States improved its acceptance policy. The import of pandas can be approved only if China guarantees that more than half a million goes into the endeavors for conserving wild pandas and their habitats.

After the Sichuan earthquake (2008) devastated more than 60 percent of the sanctuary for wild pandas, China obliged to relocate its surviving pandas. The catastrophe only heightened the paradigm shift in panda diplomacy.

In 2011, China and the United Kingdom engaged in trade deals for salmon, Lan Rover vehicles, and renewable energy technology after the Edinburg Zoo welcomed two pandas. This, despite the fact that China has a long-existing presence in Norway’s salmon business.

For a long time now, China is invading the world not only through its merchandise but also through its pandas. But even when pandas no longer come free and require high maintenance, why do the world leaders go crazy over these bamboo-loving diplomats? Who gave man the right to use animals as diplomacy gifts, in the first place?

“There are actually two Chinese ambassadors in Washington: me and the panda cub at the National Zoo.”

—Cui Tiankai, Chinese ambassador to the United States

PS: Easter is approaching. Would you buy dyed chicks as gifts for your loved ones? I hope not.

References

Hogenboom, Melissa. 2013. “China’s New Phase of Panda Diplomacy.” BBC News, September 25. Accessed March 23, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24161385.

Murphy, Mary Jo.  2015. “A Brief History of Panda Diplomacy.” The New York Times, August 27. Accessed March 23, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/28/arts/a-brief-history-of-panda-diplomacy.html?_r=0.

Holland, Brynn. 2017. “Panda Diplomacy: The World’s Cutest Ambassadors.” Accessed March 23, 2017. http://www.history.com/news/panda-diplomacy-the-worlds-cutest-ambassadors.

Ecological Society of America. n.d. “Sichuan Earthquake Caused Significant Damage to Giant Panda Habitat.” Accessed March 23, 2017. https://www.esa.org/esa/sichuan-earthquake-caused-significant-damage-to-giant-panda-habitat/.

Alleyne, Richard. 2011. “A History of Panda Diplomacy.” The Telegraph, January 10. Accessed April 5, 2017. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/wildlife/8251089/A-history-of-Panda-Diplomacy.html.

The post Panda Diplomacy: Conquering the World through Charming Creatures appeared first on Picky The Marvelous Chicken.