Pandas witnessed the beginning of China-US friendship fifty years ago. However, as the relationship between the two countries has recently turned cold, the panda, once regarded as a symbol of friendship, has become a thorn in the eyes of some American politicians. They believe that panda diplomacy is China's "propaganda war" and that pandas are a symbol of friendliness or a tool for propaganda. This issue should be studied by anthropologists, not pandas. Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, countered that "it's a bad idea." He pointed out that the top U.S. government in Washington controls the U.S. media and exaggerates an atmosphere of hostility toward China.

Jeffrey Sachs said that panda diplomacy has started a good and fruitful Sino-US relationship, but recently Sino-US relations have started to decline. U.S. politics has influenced the public media and mass media, so many accounts in the U.S. describe China as an enemy, which is terrifying. The current American political arena is very hostile to China, which I think is completely wrong.Editor/Ma Xue