On Tuesday, the Finnish zoo Ähtäri announced that they will return two pandas to China. Finland received the pandas on loan from China in 2018, as a gift after the state visit of President Xi Jinping. The agreement was that the pandas, named Lumi and Pyry in Finnish, would be allowed to live in Finland for 15 years. But pandas are expensive to run. They actually cost the zoo over NOK 17 million annually. Now the zoo can no longer afford to have the pandas living with them, according to Reuters. They will be delivered back in November this year. It is the zoo itself that has decided to return the pandas. A spokesperson for the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs tells the BBC that the authorities were not involved in this and that the return probably does not affect the relationship with China. “Panda diplomacy” China has long given and loaned pandas to other countries as a diplomatic gesture, both close allies and competitors. The practice is called “panda diplomacy”, and has long roots. Pyry the panda rolls in the snow and smiles for the camera at the Ähtäri zoo in Finland. Photo: Tommi Anttonen / AP/NTB In fact, the phenomenon may have existed as far back as the 6th century, when the Tang dynasty ruled China, according to the BBC. Empress Wu Zeitan is said to have then donated two pandas to Japan. – The pandas are often given in contexts where you want to throw extra shine on something, warm up a relationship or to reward a country you have a good relationship with, says Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr. He is a senior researcher at the Norwegian Foreign Policy Institute (NUPI). – Panda diplomacy has changed over the years. In the past, it was the case that the pandas were donated. Now China has switched to lending the pandas, in order to preserve ownership. The loan period has also become shorter, says Gåsemyr. Iver B. Neumann, director at FNI. Photo: Lars Os / news Iver B. Neumann is director of the Fridtjof Nansen Institute. He says China uses the pandas for branding. – Every single person who comes to the zoo and sees that panda will understand that it is from China. Then China becomes fixed in people’s consciousness. And when you see a panda, you tend to think that it is kind and straightforward, he says. It can contribute to the pandas creating positive associations with China, he believes. Marking the end of 25 years of silence, “Panda diplomacy” took off in earnest after the communist People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949. In 1957, China’s then leader Mao Zedong gave a panda to the Soviet Union. It was a gift to mark 40 years since the October Revolution in Russia, when the Bolsheviks seized power and later formed the Soviet Union. Two years later, they got another panda, another part of China’s efforts to strengthen relations with ideologically allied countries. Between 1965 and 1980, China also gave away five pandas to North Korea, another ally. In addition, countries such as the USA, Great Britain, Canada and France have received pandas from China. Pandas Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing at the National Zoo in Washington DC The picture was taken in 1975. Photo: Bob Daugherty / AP/NTB An important milestone was reached in relations between the United States and China in 1972. After 25 years of silence and no diplomatic relations the countries started talking to each other again. After President Richard Nixon visited China, the United States received two pandas as a gift. The pandas became an important symbol of the end of the steep fronts between the countries. Asked to get pandas back But panda diplomacy with the US has also been turbulent, and characterized by the tensions that have arisen with China over the years. In 2010, two pandas were recalled from the US by China, just before a planned meeting between US President Barack Obama and the Tibetan religious leader the Dalai Lama. Panda Xin Bao eats bamboo at the zoo in San Diego, California, USA. Photo: Mario Anzuoni / Reuters/NTB The USA got two new pandas this year, who now live in the zoo in San Diego in California. It was the first time in 21 years that new pandas were given to the United States by China. – China wants to be recognized and recognised. You can use the pandas as an indicator of when the relationship between the US and China has been good and bad, says Neumann. But panda diplomacy is less important to China now than it was in the past, he believes. – China has much more money and is much more present in the world today, and has been given many more strings to play on, says Neumann. Demanding animals Finland is not the first Scandinavian country to receive pandas from China. Since 2019, two pandas have also lived in the zoo in Copenhagen. They will live there for a total of 15 years. The panda Mao Sun has lived in the zoo in Copenhagen since 2019. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen / AP/NTB But it is no easy task to have a panda living with you. They only eat bamboo, which does not grow naturally in many places in the world. In addition, they require a lot of follow-up. – It is not an easy animal to take care of, and they are demanding. A lot must be in place for a panda to actually be given as a gift. Diplomacy plays a role, but the practical aspects are also important, says Gåsemyr. In addition, the countries must pay an annual sum to China to have the pandas. Denmark pays approximately NOK 10 million annually. Published 29/09/2024, at 17.56
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This is how China uses pandas as a diplomatic tool – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
