Panda loans have often coincided with trade deals (Image: Kathleen Buckingham)
An Oxford University study argues that the Chinese government is currently in a phase of giving pandas built on 'guanxi'. Guanxi is a Chinese concept denoting deep trade relationships characterised by trust, loyalty and longevity. The paper, published in the journal Environmental Practice , suggests that the beneficiary countries need to be aware that such panda deals could herald environmental implications over the long term. One deal cited in the study is that involving Edinburgh Zoo, which was overseen by China's deputy premier while negotiating contracts valued at £2.6 billion for the supply of petro-chemical and renewable energy technology, salmon meat, and Land Rovers. Scotland received its first pair of pandas in December 2011. The study also points out that Canada, France and Australia, a country with the world's largest uranium reserves, have had panda loans that all coincided with uranium deals and contracts with China. It notes that China needs uranium to fulfil its plans for a fiveor six-fold increase in nuclear capacity by 2050.
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