The failure of panda diplomacy
Taipei… you are killing me! Earlier today, Taiwan rejected China’s offer of two pandas. They were part of an olive branch that Beijing extended soon after it had passed the Anti-Secession act, which had promised harsh repercussions if Taiwan ever made a move towards independence. I was in Taiwan last year when China made the ...
Taipei... you are killing me! Earlier today, Taiwan rejected China's offer of two pandas. They were part of an olive branch that Beijing extended soon after it had passed the Anti-Secession act, which had promised harsh repercussions if Taiwan ever made a move towards independence. I was in Taiwan last year when China made the offer, and I asked people what they thought, in a informal and unofficial poll. Most people had the same reaction that any of us would, "Awwww....pandas! So cute!" But some politicians were saying that the pandas were a Trojan horse, meant to conquer and divide the Taiwanese public and curry favor for unification by melting hearts with the pandas' buttery goodness. To be fair, it's true that taking care of pandas is an incredibly expensive endeavor. And it was never clear who was going to help take care of them... Taiwan? China? Both? There were also some complicated legal requirements surrounding the transport and care of endangered species, details that were never quite hammered out. But still, people! They're pandas! They're cute! They're cuddly! It was a master stroke for China to offer the pandas, because they put Taiwan between a rock and a hard place. Accept the pandas, a costly endeavor, and risk appearing to accept China's opinion that Taiwan is merely a renegade province. Reject the pandas, and risk stoking China's ire and seeming curmudgeonly and hard-hearted. Either way, Taiwan loses. But I think Taiwan could have found a way to accept the pandas as a gesture of goodwill, without kowtowing to Beijing. It could have accepted them by making sure there were no strings attached, other than the same ones that govern China's loaning of pandas to other nations. Taiwan could have strengthened cultural ties between the people of the mainland and the island, and gained an edge in the court of public opinion.
More from Foreign Policy
Lessons for the Next War
Twelve experts weigh in on how to prevent, deter, and—if necessary—fight the next conflict.
It’s High Time to Prepare for Russia’s Collapse
Not planning for the possibility of disintegration betrays a dangerous lack of imagination.
Turkey Is Sending Cold War-Era Cluster Bombs to Ukraine
The artillery-fired cluster munitions could be lethal to Russian troops—and Ukrainian civilians.
Congrats, You’re a Member of Congress. Now Listen Up.
Some brief foreign-policy advice for the newest members of the U.S. legislature.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
