Unfortunately the political situation is inextricable from the equation since the animals are government owned and any deals are with the government. If the Chinese government were more clear about the funds going directly to panda conservation then I think you would see a different feeling overall, but they are not at all clear how the money is spent.
They do bring a very cool and very unique animal to any zoo that has them, but the costs are very high. I think there was a time where the costs were mitigated by the public appeal, but I am wary if that is the case any longer. I don't know the actual financials of course, but between building a specialized habitat, fees from China, a very specialized diet, and other animal care factors, I doubt there is a large return on the investment. There is still a prestige factor to having them, that seems obvious though.
