Anthony Albanese’s recent visit to Chengdu’s panda breeding base showed the enduring power of China’s panda diplomacy.
China has been sending pandas to other countries, sometimes for obviously political reasons, since the 1940s. The term “panda diplomacy” became widespread when China gifted two pandas to the United States on Richard Nixon’s 1972 visit.
In a new paper published in The Pacific Review, we explain the importance of panda diplomacy for the Chinese state. This importance persists during times of high political tension between China and other countries that host pandas, such as the United States. And it persists despite growing concerns about it in China.
