Photo shows giant panda Tian Bao in February 2022.Photo:Xinhua

The Beijing Winter Olympic Games are full of brilliant highlights. The mascot, Bing Dwen Dwen, whose design is based on the giant panda, has gone viral. Yet at this time, US media outlets reported that Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace plans to toss out a shocking bill targeting giant pandas - breaking the deal made between China and the US, stopping panda cubs born in the US to be sent back to China. She said she hoped it would send a message to China during the Beijing Winter Olympic Games that pandas should not be used as window dressing.

She said, "We do need to think outside of the box in terms of dealing with their aggression." 

The first impression it leaves people is that the congresswoman wants to hold the pandas in a shameless manner. Her excuse is indeed outside the box. The cute and adorable panda is supposed to be a symbol of peace, and is always regarded as a "mascot" of China-US relations. Now some people in the US even want to target the "mascot". 

The New York Times claims that China is "softening" its image through "Panda Diplomacy," drawing attention away from its record of human rights abuses. The absurd and ridiculous behavior reflects the dark psychology of these anti-China politicians and the ridiculous logic behind the US anti-China policy.

In the eyes of some US politicians and American media outlets, one of the reasons for the "mistakes" in US policy toward China in the past few decades is that images of giant pandas have blurred their understanding of China. It can be seen how hysterically anti-China farces are repeatedly going on in Washington.

Similar jittery political shows have come out in an unending flow in the US in recent years. From the Trump administration to the Biden administration, "Chinese espionage" cases have been frequently hyped in the US. A large number of Chinese students and Chinese American scholars in the US have been wrongly accused as "spies." Originally a link between the people of the two countries, they are distortedly characterized as illegal who undermine US national security. High-quality and inexpensive Chinese products have brought convenience to the American people, but Washington politicians have smeared them as disruptive of the normal economic order of the US and robbing the American people of employment opportunities, for which they even launched a trade war against China.

The anti-China competition between some US politicians has turned frenzied, as some US politicians are looking for anti-China materials from any sign to steal the spotlight. Now, they take aim at the panda.

On the loan of pandas, China and the US have stringent contracts. This is not something the US could unilaterally change by pushing forward a bill. Washington always touts about "the spirit of a contract" and labels China as one that breaks the rules. Mace claims to keep the pandas in the US under the so-called excuse of "aggression" and "human rights," such naked gang-like logic shows what the US "spirit of a contract" is really about.

Distorting the image of the panda is a natural result of the US anti-China logic, and also means that this logic has come to an end. This shows US politicians' attacks against China have been at their wit's end. The cute and adorable image of the panda has captured people's hearts. Could anyone with a normal mindset think of politics when seeing a panda? Will people blame the panda for making their lives worse? This kind of manipulation without any bottom line will arouse suspicion and opposition among normal Americans. No wonder American people asked whether these politicians can seriously think about where the American true interests really are.

Nancy Mace is pushing to include the "PANDA" bill in the "America COMPETES Act of 2022," which is seen by the Biden administration as a general guide of its China policy. We think it might be a good thing. The "America COMPETES Act" with a "PANDA clause" will more fully expose its true face and clear its delusion, making more Americans to realize that various issues in China-US ties are created by "thieves" harbored by US' extreme politicians on their minds.