The new year opens on a panda note, reminding the world how Beijing wields soft power. France will receive a pair of the furballs in 2027 on a decade-long loan sealed during Emmanuel Macron’s China visit. Japan, meanwhile, prepares to bid farewell to twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, their return hastened amid tensions sparked by Sanae Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks. Japan’s loss looks like France’s gain. Pandas have long lubricated China’s ties: from Chiang Kai-shek’s 1941 gift to America and Mao’s Cold War offerings to post-1972 normalisation with Japan. Chinese panda loans are costly and strategic, often shadowing trade and ties. Pandas, after all, sit on both sides of Chinese diplomacy—soft-power ambassadors one day, soft casualties the next.