U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Giant Panda Lease Policy
China has long used Giant Pandas as a form of diplomacy with the tradition going all the way back to 1941. This has been referred to as a use of soft power because China hopes that other nations will associate the cute, cuddly panda with them in a move to improve its image. Over the course of many years, pandas have been gifted to many different countries to signal positive relations. This was modeled when Beijing sent a pair of cubs to Washington as a thank you for helping with the Japanese invasion. However, it was not until 1972 that the pandas started to become a bigger deal.
Topic 1: International diplomacy
Topic 2: Conservation and societal implications
Topic 3: China’s global image