(CN) Mainland's panda gift gets mixed reaction

[Guest guest]

http://china.scmp.com/chimain/ZZZR6ZYFZ7E.html

Wednesday, May 4, 2005

 

KMT vice-chairman welcomes the offer but ruling party lawmaker

says to

accept would be to admit Taiwan's 'local government' status

 

STAFF REPORTERS in Shanghai and Beijing

 

Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou yesterday welcomed Beijing's gift of

two giant pandas to the Taiwanese people, in contrast to its cool reception

by members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

 

Mr Ma, Kuomintang party vice-chairman, raised the possibility of

giving the mainland a pair of Formosan rock monkeys in return.

 

The pandas were on a gift list announced by the director of the

State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, Chen Yunlin, as KMT chairman Lien

Chan concluded his visit to the mainland.

 

Details, including the zoo from which the pandas will be

selected, have yet to be announced. But there was speculation yesterday that

they would come from Fuzhou, which has a climate similar to that of Taiwan.

 

Mr Chen said it had always been the mainland's wish to send

pandas to the Taiwanese people. Beijing decided to seize the opportunity of

Mr Lien's visit to present the gift, he said.

 

" Pandas are the treasure of the Chinese people. We believe the

gentle personality, solitary nature and charming naivety of pandas will

bring happiness to the lives of Taiwanese people. "

 

In an interview with state media, Mr Lien was quoted as saying

the pandas would make people " very happy " , although it was still unclear

what procedures might be necessary for their delivery to Taiwan.

 

In Taipei, Mr Ma said the pandas would be welcome at the Taipei

Zoo in Mucha.

 

He said the zoo had exchanged animals with other zoos in the

past, noting that Formosan rock monkeys or chimpanzees could be offered to

the mainland in a return gesture.

 

Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian, on a visit to the Pacific

island of Kiribati, said Taiwan would accept the pandas as long as it was in

line with international conventions on endangered species.

 

The island's ruling party placed advertisements in newspapers

urging the public to be wary of the panda offer - a " united-front tactic " .

 

One of the DPP's greatest concerns was that the mainland would

insist Taiwan accept the pandas in the capacity of a provincial government,

rather than as a self-governing entity.

 

" If we accept the pandas, that means we're admitting to

ourselves that we're a local government, " said DPP lawmaker Hsu Kuo-yung.

 

Chang Chia-chih, chairman of Chinese Cross-Strait Giant Panda

Care and Conservation Exchange Association, said Taiwan definitely had the

ability to raise the pandas, given the establishment of a suitable

environment for the endangered species.

 

The Taipei Zoo said it was building a panda enclosure, which

would be ready by next spring.

 

Local wildlife groups said the animals would be better off left

in their natural environment.

 

Additional reporting by Jacky Hsu in Taipei and Associated Press