Despite the incredible bounds towards harmony between China and the US to the credit of China’s prized foreign ambassadors, they are now being extracted from the country to be returned home. These ambassadors, more commonly known as giant pandas, were a symbol of goodwill that shined on us. In light of the loss of these humble representatives, the US has taken to examining the events that led up to the change.
The first modern act of Panda Diplomacy took place in 1941, in which the United States was thanked for their help in aiding China with Pan Dee and Pan Dah, who took up residence in Bronx Zoo, New York after an exhausting trip from Chongqing. They continued gifting pandas until 1984 when they realized their actions might be harmful to panda production and then began leasing the pandas instead. The US has been on the receiving end of these leases or gifts, notably when President Nixon received panda pair Hsing-Hsing and Ling Ling. However, the past several years have raised tension between the United States and China, including because of China’s “zero-COVID” policy. This policy included severe lockdowns and extreme quarantine, which largely impacted their economy and as a result, caused inflation in the US. From there, the two countries continued banning exports and imports from each other, making it more difficult to do business with one another.
It is reasonable for the next step to be reclaiming their “ambassadors”, no matter how attached the public has gotten to them. The leases for the bears have been extended multiple times, yet they are finally returning home. Despite the leases expiring, we can recognize the intent of communicating goodwill and strengthening ties that pandas held, and therefore Americans might attribute the recall to rising tension. The last day to see the pandas at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., was on November 8. One thing can be certain: panda diplomats are sent with a goal, which means that any panda diplomacy could have a deeper meaning.
