PANDA DIPLOMACY IN SINO-AMERICAN RELATIONS

Abstract

The term "panda diplomacy" refers to an international practice in which China gifts or leases giant pandas to foreign nations. Panda diplomacy is evaluated as an instrument of the PRC's soft power and public diplomacy. The study employed methods of content analysis, institutional analysis, and trend analysis. The establishment of regulatory norms for panda hunting allowed China to implement "panda diplomacy" for the first time in modern history at the end of 1941. The development of Sino-American relations has acted as a driver for the evolution of panda diplomacy.  In 1972, on the occasion of the first high-level meeting between the leaders of the USA and the PRC, animals were exchanged as gifts, resulting in pandas settling in Washington for the first time. In the 2010s, tensions in relations between the PRC and the USA began to grow, which led to delays in decisions by the Chinese side regarding the extension of panda leases. China transformed its approach, focusing even more on subnational diplomacy. The cases of New York and California serve as examples of the transformation in the approach to actualizing panda diplomacy in American politics. The deterioration of relations at the interstate level caused the early recall of pandas from Washington; instead, the Chinese government emphasized relations with the state of California by leasing pandas to the San Diego Zoo. Prior to the 2024 US presidential election, China sent two pandas on lease to the capital's zoo. The intensification of political competition at the national level between the USA and the PRC has led to the repurposing of panda diplomacy into a tool of subnational diplomacy. The 2024 US presidential elections demonstrated that China's choice of panda placement within a single country is politically motivated and aims to encourage local stakeholders to support cooperation with mainland China, regardless of the state of relations at the interstate level.

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Received: 08.05.26 / Revised: 19.04.26 / Accepted: 01.06.26 / Published: 30.06.26