China Outraged by US Treating Pandas as 'Evil'

US Political Sphere Proposes Panda Act, China Uses 'Panda Diplomacy' to Mask Dictatorship Image
China Mocks US, Claiming Even Rare Animal Panda Used as Anti-China Policy Tool

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] China's state-run media showed a strong reaction, saying that the giant panda, beloved by 1.4 billion Chinese people, has become a new target of the U.S. political sphere. This is in response to the introduction of the amendment to the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (Panda Act), which includes a provision banning the return of pandas born in the U.S. to China. The panda is an endangered vulnerable species listed as a World Natural Heritage and symbolizes China.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The state-run Global Times reported on the 15th that Republican House Representative Nancy Mace introduced the bill, claiming that pandas are being used as a shield tool against China's human rights abuses.

Representative Mace explained the purpose of the bill, stating that pandas are being used as a tool to weaken China's image as a dictatorship, and that if a leased panda gives birth, the offspring should not be sent back to China.

The Global Times, citing panda experts, expressed displeasure without filtering, saying that the Chinese government's panda leasing is an old diplomatic tradition and that the Panda Act is a ridiculous claim by a narrow-minded U.S. political sphere. It also expressed indignation that the U.S. political sphere treats the panda, a rare animal that should be preserved, as 'evil (惡)'.

The panda, revered as a national treasure-level animal among Chinese people, inhabits only the Sichuan Province area, with about 2,000 remaining. The Chinese government gifts pandas to countries with which it newly establishes diplomatic relations or needs friendly relations. This is why the term 'panda diplomacy' emerged. China gifted pandas to the U.S. in 1941. At that time, the Chiang Kai-shek Nationalist government sent pandas to the U.S. as a token of gratitude for aid.

Since then, according to the Washington Convention, which prohibits the sale or donation of rare animals, China has been gifting pandas through a leasing method since 1983. The lease period is 10 years, and if the contract is not extended, the pandas return to China. China currently cooperates on panda conservation with 22 zoos in 18 countries worldwide.

The Global Times reported that before 1982, the Chinese government transferred pandas to other countries as a gesture of friendship and goodwill, and that the two pandas gifted during President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972 were donations.

Zhao Songsheng, manager of a panda NGO, emphasized, "China has focused on rare animal conservation in promoting the panda leasing policy," adding, "China is conducting scientific research for panda conservation together with many countries worldwide." He also added that the offspring born during the lease period are contractually owned by China, which is a practice recognized worldwide.

The Global Times argued that the panda issue reveals the limitations of the U.S. political sphere, which seeks political gains by fueling U.S.-China conflicts. The article mocks Representative Mace and other U.S. politicians.

Li Haidong, professor at the Institute of International Relations, China Foreign Affairs University, said, "U.S. politicians are doing their utmost to tarnish China's national image," adding, "The U.S. political sphere is even using the panda, a symbol of peace, as a tool for anti-China policies."

Diao Daming, professor at Renmin University, said, "It seems that Representative Nancy Mace is facing pressure within her party ahead of the upcoming U.S. midterm elections," and predicted, "The Republican Party, ahead of the elections, will politicize China issues more, being conscious of votes."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.