Effective diplomacy in black and white
This photo taken on Feb 19, 2023 shows giant panda Xiang Xiang at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo, Japan. People flocked to Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens to see Xiang Xiang on Sunday, the final day for public viewing for the beloved five-year-old female giant panda before her return to China. [Photo/Xinhua]
Xiang Xiang, a 5-year-old female panda born in Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens, finally departed for China on Tuesday. Her parents were loaned to Tokyo for breeding research under a deal that the offspring would belong to China.
Fans had queued up for hours on Jan 20 to win a lottery enabling them to bid farewell to Xiang Xiang.
Similar was the craze in the United States where some 70,000 people lined up to welcome the first two pandas there in 1972. The euphoria had not died down one bit when the Washington-based Smithsonian's National Zoo marked the 50th anniversary of the pandas' arrival last year.
It is fair to say that the giant panda is the best four-legged diplomat from China. Wherever it goes, it receives a warm welcome and spreads friendship. A popular joke on social networking sites goes that the panda best represents cross-cultural harmony and inclusiveness because it is "black, white, and Asian".
For thousands of years, the Chinese people have been encountering all kinds of cultures, some peacefully, some not so. They have all been met with the same open, inclusive nature. While Western civilizations grapple with racism, there is no such equivalent in the Chinese civilization.
Some biologists joke that the giant panda is as strong as any bear, but chose bamboo as its staple food although it can hunt for meat like other predators. That's why it is seen as cute, though that certainly isn't a sign of weakness.
The panda is representative of Chinese culture. Like the cute animal, China, too, is inclusive and extends a warm welcome to all friends, but anyone that dare invade it is bound to fail. It is the only civilization that has, uninterruptedly, evolved for 5,000 years.
We hope that like the panda, China continues to enhance friendship with everyone.
Related articles
Brazil replaces injured goalkeeper Ederson in Copa America squad
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil coach Dorival Júnior has replaced injured goalkeeper Ederson with Sao P2024-05-21How the US failed to stop a Cambodian monkey ‘smuggling conspiracy’ — Radio Free Asia
Kry Masphal landed at Phnom Penh airport late last month to a hero’s welcome. His wife and children,2024-05-21Hundreds pay tribute to police officer shot dead 40 years ago from inside Libya's UK embassy
LONDON (AP) — Hundreds of people attended a vigil in central London on Wednesday to commemorate the2024-05-21How ancient hatreds are reshaping the Middle East and forging unlikely alliances. The rise of Iran
The competition is strong, but for my money the most important geopolitical statement so far this ye2024-05-21Ohio judge to rule Monday on whether the state’s abortion ban stands
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A county judge could rule as early as Monday on Ohio’s law banning virtually a2024-05-21Disneyland performers file petition to form labor union
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Workers who help bring Disneyland’s beloved characters to life said Wednesday2024-05-21
atest comment