Panda diplomacy’s Kazakh twin: ‘Saiga diplomacy’ is here
In addition to cementing political and economic ties, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Kazakhstan was marked by another charm offensive from the host nation — this time through cultural diplomacy, arguably modeled on China’s «panda diplomacy» and complementing Kazakhstan’s previously launched «Tazy diplomacy.»
Saiga diplomacy
On June 17, Kazakhstan officially announced that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had proposed transferring 1,500 saiga antelope to China to help restore the country’s dwindling saiga population. Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed gratitude for the initiative, as China plans to reintroduce the species into its natural habitat.
Once on the brink of extinction, the saiga antelope has made a remarkable recovery in Kazakhstan thanks to intensive conservation efforts. However, the growing population has created new challenges for local farmers, who say the animals are damaging crops and becoming a nuisance. In February 2024, Kazakhstan prematurely banned the culling of saiga. At the time, Minister of Ecology Yerlan Nyssanbayev estimated the national saiga population had reached between 2.5 million and 2.6 million.
Tazy diplomacy
This recent gesture by Kazakhstan’s president echoes another instance of cultural diplomacy involving a native steppe animal — the Tazy dog breed.
In November 2023, Tokayev gifted two Tazy puppies to French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to Astana. The dogs, named Jules and Jeanne, are now known to accompany Macron during meetings with distinguished guests.
In September 2024, the International Canine Federation (FCI) officially recognized the Kazakh Tazy as a distinct breed and designated Kazakhstan as the holder of the breed standard. President Tokayev himself owns three pedigree Tazys, named Nauryz, Ronnie and Nancy.
Panda diplomacy
Kazakhstan’s «Tazy diplomacy» and «Saiga diplomacy» mirror China’s well-known soft power tool: panda diplomacy. Since its founding in 1949, the People’s Republic of China has used giant pandas as a gesture of goodwill toward international allies.
In 1957, Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong sent the first «panda ambassadors» to the Soviet Union — two pandas named Ping Ping and Qi Qi — to mark the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution.
China has long used panda diplomacy to bolster its international image, either by gifting or loaning pandas to foreign zoos. Since 1984, China has stopped gifting pandas due to conservation concerns and now loans them, typically in pairs, for 10-year periods, often charging up to $1 million annually, according to Reuters.
