Pandas return to diplomacy
Pandas are returning to Chinese soft diplomacy after a lull for a few years. According to Xinhua Press, China will send pandas to San Diego and Madrid Zoos. It is part of broader efforts to conserve panda species.
Apart from the zoological aspect, pandas signal shifts in Chinese diplomacy. In the last few years, the return of pandas to China signalled the cooling of relations with the USA and Western countries.
It remains to be seen if a new wave of pandas travelling abroad signals warming relations between China and the West.
