The Token Of Panda
- Ayushi Tiwari
- Aug 25, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 15, 2020
As the world grows closer owing to the changing dynamics of international relations amidst the countries—international politics has become increasingly important, superseding measures of coercion—marking the onset of trade relations. It is widely considered by policymakers around the globe that soft power is always preferred over the use of hard power. Joseph Nye, an American political scientist, defined soft power as the ability to achieve goals through political values, cultural influence, and foreign policy rather than using force and hard power such as the use of the military to influence other countries to agree on terms they desire.
Panda diplomacy is one such way in which the People’s Republic of China exercises soft power. This unique form of diplomacy practised by China involves the use of pandas along with humans as ambassadors. In other words, this practice consists of gifting pandas to their allies with some hidden economic or political interests.
Panda Diplomacy has a vast history. The first phase commenced under the rule of the Tang Dynasty Empress, Wu Zetian, wherein a pair of pandas were gifted as a symbolism of nation-wide gesture to strengthen ties and maintain political closeness with the Emperor Tenmu of Japan (in 685) — to instil trust amongst the nations.
Subsequently, the modern panda diplomacy began in the late 1950s as a part of the foreign policy strategy of Chairman Mao Zedong. Soon recognizing the diplomatic immunity of the pandas' imperative qualities—the People’s Republic of China started to offer them as a part of their strategic alliance. Between 1957 and 1983, 24 pandas in all were gifted to the Soviet Union, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom.
Following Deng Xiaoping’s rise to power in 1978 and China’s embarkment of the open-door policy, the panda diplomacy measure was modified and commenced for the second phase. With its onset, China began to offer pandas to other nations on a ten-year loan basis. The standard loan terms included a fee up to US $1 million per year and a provision underlying that if a panda cub were conceived during the loan period it shall be deemed as the property of the People's Republic of China.
Further, the 2008 Sichuan earthquake gravely damaged the living facilities available for pandas in China and this marked the beginning of the third phase. The tenure of gift loans given between 1978 to 2008, in existence, was extended with a prerequisite (for China's trading partners) to supply efficient resources in exchange such as uranium.
There are three main objectives behind the usage of pandas as diplomatic tools.
The first and foremost objective is to portray a more harmonious image of China and to fix shortcomings in terms of reputational damage.
Second, owing to financial motives essentially earning a profit for the nation by renting pandas to its international ties.
Third, the conservation and protection of pandas. Conservationists believe that China is using pandas as commercial goods, backed with the claim that China’s reputation is in shatters owing to high human rights violations such as cooking alive cats, boiling dogs to improve the taste of their meat, selling turtles and amphibians as decoration materials etc. At present online illegal wildlife trading is adding on to the list of violations due to the countrywide shutdown of the markets following the COVID-19 outbreak. It’s a matter of grave concern since the nation is holding up a facade instead of nurturing and conserving the animals.
Thus, it’s quite apparent how China uses panda diplomacy for their economic, social, and political gain. However, instead of degrading them to the lowly status of mere pawns, China should shift their focus on other dimensions of soft power like promoting international education, investing in institutions, building infrastructures, and publicizing their culture and ideology. Considering that the People’s Republic of China spends 10 billion dollars per year on its soft power initiative, the gradual shift of attention from their panda centric approach might be overall beneficial for the nation as it would allow them to make more effective utilization of their soft power resources.
References:
Barker, Thomas. The Real Source of China’s Soft Power; The Diplomat, 2017. https://thediplomat.com/2017/11/the-real-source-of-chinas-soft-power/.
H.S. Why China rents out its pandas; the Economist.2019. https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2019/01/18/why-china-rents-out-its-pandas.
Bihani, Shipra. China’s panda diplomacy: All you need to know; Times of India. 2017. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/chinas-panda-diplomacy-all-you-need-to-know/articleshow/59522759.cms.
Kumar, Ankit. China’s Panda Diplomacy; Indian Defence Review. 2019. http://www.indiandefencereview.com/spotlights/chinas-panda-diplomacy/.
Li, Eric. The Rise And Fall Of Soft Power; Foreign Policy. 2018.https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/08/20/the-rise-and-fall-of-soft-power/.
Xinhua. Official books tell the untold story of giant pandas; Chinadaily. 2019. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201902/21/WS5c6e99fea3106c65c34eaa94.html.
Cover image credits: thakoni.com
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