The Panda thing is like every other China hate thing. When they were in danger of going extinct, it was "evil China doesn't care, look how bad they are compared to us in the enlightened west."

Then when they instituted breeding programs and helped them so much they are no longer endangered, it was "evil China is just lying to impress us, the superior west."

Now that China's efforts to save pandas are undeniable it is just "Actually pandas don't matter and evil China is defying nature by trying to save an inferior animal that should go extinct."