What is the panda conservation pact that China signed with US?

China is all set to renew its panda diplomacy project. The country aims to provide a pair of giant pandas to the San Diego Zoo. Cooperation agreements have been signed by the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Authority with Madrid, Spain, and San Diego. China is also in talks with many zoos across Vienna, Austria, and Washington DC.

In case the permits are assented to, the San Diego Zoo will be given the pandas by the end of this summer. But what exactly is the panda diplomacy? Let's understand.

The panda diplomacy

Central China has many giant pandas as natives. These pandas can be specifically found in the Yangtze River basin. The Chinese government aims to gift these endemic pandas to various countries. This loan or gift will be a symbol of soft diplomacy or friendship with these countries. Therefore, the complete matter is called panda diplomacy.

The term panda diplomacy was popular in the 20th century. A phase of panda diplomacy also existed in the 7th and the 10 centuries as per experts, when the Tang Dynasty ruled the region.

China has gifted or loaned pandas to various countries many times in the past. These countries include Japan, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom. However, it was in the year 1972 that modern panda diplomacy kickstarted. During this time Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai gave America giant pandas as gifts. This was done after the visit of President Richard Nixon's visit to China.

However, in the 1980s, China ceased the trend of gifting pandas as a sign of soft diplomacy. Instead, China began loaning the pandas at a fee of $1 million every year. In some cases, there were other conditions to lend the pandas as well. These conditions included constructing facilities for the care of pandas and more.

Pandas and soft diplomacy

Pandas are gifted or loaned by the Chinese government to other nations to foster the bonds between the countries. These are nothing but strong symbols of goodwill, and friendship. Pandas stand as one of the most prominent emblems of China and thus resemble soft power.

What's ahead?

It was in November 2023, when the President of the United States, Joe Biden, and the Chinese President Xi Jinping met for the very first time in a year. It was during this time that the president of China suggested that China could begin sending pandas to the United States yet again.

Megan Own, a member of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said, “We’re very excited and hopeful.” The member further said,  

“They’ve expressed a tremendous amount of enthusiasm to re-initiate panda cooperation starting with the San Diego Zoo.”