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Did you know, that all Panda bears 🐼 worldwide are all owned by the Chinese government? Pandas outside of China are only on loan.
Just some useless information because of the username...
Not quite true, there is one single panda they don't own, Xin Xin at the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City.
Yeah, that Panda is a leftover from better times when China gave them as diplomatic gifts. Its the offspring of 2 Pandas that were originally given to mexico before the 1980's when China stopped gifting and started the lending thing.
There are 2 more, that are not considered a loan, in Taiwan. But they are more a "F*ck your independence, you belong to us anyways"-gifts with the Chinese arguing that it was an inner country transfer and not a gesture to a foreign nation.
Nevertheless, all Pandas outside of China have been political pawns for the Chinese government including Xin Xin in Mexico.
I've seen some recent news about China gifting Brazil a panda in a diplomatic move. So, they don't own all pandas, or wasn't it really a gift?
It might have been on loan, but described as a gift as there's limited numbers they loan out.
Part of the reasoning for the loan system is that there's a limited number, and the terms of the loan allows China to take them back in the event the zoo fails to care for them appropriately, which happens with depressing regularity.
They are given as a loan. The Wikipedia page about Panda diplomacy someone else linked is quite interesting and explains it all.
Gifting the temporary use of the panda