Photo: iStock
Viktor Buzna
15/08/2024 07:00
Symbols have an important role to play in world politics, the rise of China being the best example. The five-star red flag is the most important symbol of the People's Republic of China. The larger of the stars on the red field represents the Party, while the smaller stars around it represent the four social classes (working class, peasantry, intelligentsia, bourgeoisie). The flag is thus a symbol of the balance between the different interest groups. This is the most important task of the Chinese Communist Party, the basis for the survival of the system in a country of one and a half billion people.
But is this the symbolism that comes to mind when we think of China? Or do we think of a giant panda or a dragon? The media like to present China with more consumable images, which, although much simpler, also carry symbols.
That is why there were strange reactions to the news that China is again giving pandas to the United States, Spain and Austria. Panda diplomacy, which became a household word when US-China relations were established in 1972, is thus gaining momentum. As the delegation or even repatriation of pandas is a political intention, it may be an indication of Beijing's current interests. Last year's decision to repatriate the pandas in Washington fitted into the Cold War logic. The geopolitical situation justified the sending home of the ambassadors who wanted to be sent home, signalling that the time of the pandas was over. America is facing a dragon.
Why should specimens be allowed back into San Diego if relations are not improving? Western experts say it is a hoax. In fact, the beloved animal is in fact the 'secret weapon' of Chinese soft power, essentially a dragon in panda skin.
This shows why it is dangerous to use simple symbols to interpret complex phenomena. Beijing's foreign policy interests are also behind this decision, as evidenced by the fact that Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly raised the issue during his visit to the US last year. But beyond geopolitical objectives, there are other considerations influencing panda diplomacy.
In this case, too, politics is complemented by business. The pandas are taken over by the host country on a ten-year contract for a rental fee of one million dollars per year. In return, they attract a lot of visitors, so the host zoo benefits from the deal. Panda diplomacy is also part of a successful species rescue programme. Scientific collaboration and publicity have helped to improve the conservation status of the giant panda, which was moved from endangered to vulnerable in 2016.
The host country also has political objectives. A prime example is San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who travelled to China at the end of April. Breed held a press conference at the airport, where he said that two specimens would soon be arriving in the city, with stuffed pandas in their suitcases. In a public fired up by the presidential election campaign, critics have noted that instead of panda diplomacy, Breed should be addressing real problems such as rising crime and the homelessness crisis.
The author is a researcher at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs
