Cuddly politics

Pandas, apart from being incredibly cute and absurdly endangered, are now the source of a new kind of controversy. A new article from Newsweek discusses the ins and outs of China's desire to give Taiwan a pair of Pandas as a gift. China, who has used pandas as a diplomatic tool for over a millenium, is definitely devious enough to exploit the animals' undisputed appeal for political gain.

"Most people can't resist pandas. Pat Buchanan, a member of Nixon's 1972 China entourage, recalls how the White House, preoccupied with geostrategic issues, was utterly unprepared for the wild uproar that met Hsing Hsing and Ling Ling at the National Zoo. 'The Chinese really scored heavily,' he says. 'We didn't realize what a smash they would be.'"

And that's exactly why the Taiwanese president is against accepting the gift. He has called them "trojan pandas," and has warned that it's a sneak diplomatic attack from Beijing.

Of course, he's probably right. But it's still a brilliant move.

mmmm, peking duck...