Ya Ya, on loan to the US for 20 years, was returned to China in April 2023 after a suspected Chinese spy balloon floated over the US.
The following year, as Beijing and Washington increased engagement, China promised to send two younger pandas to Washington in what China’s ambassador said was a “very good sign” for bilateral relations.
Similarly, China’s Premier Li Qiang offered pandas to Australia as a goodwill gesture in 2024 as relations warmed following a trade spat that stretched back to 2020.
South Korea could be the next test ground for China’s panda diplomacy.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Korean counterpart, Lee Jae Myung, agreed during a January summit to start panda talks, Yonhap News Agency reported, as Lee called for a full restoration of South Korea-China relations in his first visit to Beijing as president.
South Koreans in April 2024 bid a tearful farewell to Fu Bao, the first giant panda born in the country, although it remains home to four other Chinese pandas.
Read the full article here
