Since giving a pair of giant pandas to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in 1972 after President Richard Nixon’s visit to Beijing, China has used the panda loan as a means of projecting a harmless and friendly image globally. But it’s always action-and foreign audiences no longer fall for it.
BERLIN—During a recent visit to Washington, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China will send a pair of giant pandas to Zoo Atlanta. The “Messengers of Friendship,” Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, arrived just a few days later. This is hardly the first time China has used the iconic bear as an instrument of soft power. By loaning the animals to overseas zoos, they are trying to portray China not as a threatening dragon, but as a tough but cuddly charmer.