China will take back the remaining two pandas hosted by Japan next month, effectively ending a program that has symbolized the friendship between the two countries since the resumption of diplomatic ties in 1972.
The move comes with the Asian neighbors locked in a row following comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last month about the possibility of a scenario in which Tokyo could send in its military if Beijing tried to take over Taiwan by force.
While twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, born at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo in 2021, had long been slated to be transferred to China in February, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government sought to extend their stay, according to media reports.
According to the Asahi newspaper and other media, he will now fly to China in January, ahead of schedule. It is unclear whether the timing is related to the diplomatic standoff, in which China canceled Japanese cultural events on its territory and urged its citizens not to visit Japan.
Borrowing bears, often called “panda diplomacy,” is part of China’s efforts to strengthen its soft power. While the bears were once offered as gifts, they are now almost always sent on loan, with ownership retained by China. Japan has hosted the bears continuously since 1972, when the two nations formalized diplomatic relations with a joint communique.
There is currently no agreement to buy more pandas, a Tokyo Metropolitan Government official said on Monday. The official declined to comment on whether negotiations were underway and said an announcement on the status of the bears would be released soon.
Unlike Japan, France secured the loan of a pair of pandas during President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to China in early December. China also loaned pandas to Australia earlier this year following a thaw in ties between the two nations.
The United States also looked set to lose the last of its pandas at one point, but President Xi Jinping has promised to send more of what he described as “ambassadors of friendship” in 2023.
Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing flared after Takaichi told parliament on November 7 that the Taiwan crisis could pose a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan – a classification that would give Tokyo legal justification to deploy its military alongside other countries if they choose to respond.
Since then, China’s travel warnings have hit the economy in western Japan, and its military has trained fire control radar on one or more Japanese fighter jets in the East China Sea, according to the Japanese government.
Takaichi has repeatedly said that Tokyo’s position on Taiwan has not changed and is still in line with the 1972 communique. In this joint statement, Japan said it understood and respected Beijing’s view that Taiwan was an “inalienable” part of Chinese territory, without saying it agreed with the view.
A poll conducted by Japan’s ANN television over the weekend showed that 66% of respondents were at least somewhat concerned about deteriorating relations with China.
This article was generated from an automated news agency source without text modification.
