PANDA
DIPLOMACY - INTERNATIONAL
News:
China to resume ‘Panda
Diplomacy’ with US and Europe, what does this mean?
What's
in the news?
●
China said it will renew its “Panda
Diplomacy" efforts with the US and other nations after spending recent
years bringing the bears it loans to foreign zoos back home.
Panda
Diplomacy:
●
Gifting or giving as loans the endemic
pandas as a symbol of friendship or soft
policy to other countries by Chinese government.
Backdrop:
●
Essentially picked up in the mid-to-late
20th century, however it existed as early as during the Tang Dynasty that ruled
between 7th and 10th century.
China’s
Gifts of Panda:
●
Has gifted pandas to countries like the U.S., the U.K., France and Japan,
and 1972 is often believed to be the start of modern panda diplomacy.
●
Stopped gifting pandas in early 1980s, and
instead started loaning them at a fee of around $1 million per year
Significance
of Diplomacy:
●
It shows pandas as envoys of friendship
between the Chinese and American peoples
●
Panda deals with Canada, France and
Australia coincided with these countries’ uranium deals and contracts with
China.
Giant
Pandas:
●
Rarest member of the bear family.
Features:
●
Distinctive black and white coat (adored
by the world).
Importance:
●
Considered as a national treasure in
China.
●
A special significance for WWF because it
has been our logo since our founding in 1961.
Habitat:
●
Temperate
forests high in the mountains of southwest China.
Diet:
●
Feeds entirely on bamboo.
Conservation
Status:
●
IUCN – Vulnerable
Significance:
●
They use their enlarged wrist bones that function
as opposable thumbs.
●
These bears are excellent tree climbers
despite their bulk.
Threats:
●
Hunting and Habitat loss.