Taipei officials to depart for China on panda mission

December 14th, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

A Taipei city government delegation of officials and animal keepers will depart today for Chengdu in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan to arrange for the delivery of two giant pandas offered by China as a gift to the Taiwanese people.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a pair of giant pandas Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan eat at a panda breeding center in Ya

The delegation, to be headed by Yang Hsiao-tung, director of the city’s Department of Information and Tourism, will visit the giant panda habitat in the Wolong Nature Reserve to discuss the transportation of the two endangered animals.

Two Taipei Zoo technicians left for the Wolong wildlife sanctuary Dec. 12 to familiarize themselves with the rare animals.

China offered Taiwan the two pandas in 2005 when then-opposition Kuomintang Chairman Lien Chan made an ice-breaking visit to Beijing. The Chinese authorities also chose the names Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan for the pandas – which together mean “reunion” or “unification” in Chinese – through an online vote.

The offer, however, was turned down by the then-ruling Democratic Progressive Party administration, suspicious that China would claim the shipment of the pandas as a “domestic transfer” between zoos, which would mean Taiwan would have admitted it was part of China had it accepted them.

As giant pandas are a Grade-One endangered wildlife species subject to the protection of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), cross-border transfer of the animal must follow strict CITES provisions.

The Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture approved the import of the pandas after President Ma Ying-jeou, who adopts a more conciliatory approach toward China, took office in May and chose Taipei Zoo to house them.

Dove tree seedlings

During a visit to Taipei last month by China’s top point man on Taiwan, Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait President Chen Yunlin, both sides announced that in addition to the two pandas, China will also present Taiwan with 17 dove tree seedlings – a plant native to China known there as “green panda, ” in appreciation of Taiwan’s aid and relief efforts after a devastating earthquake in Sichuan in May.

According to an agreement signed in November by Chen and his Taiwanese counterpart, Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung, Taiwan will give Beijing a pair of Formosan sika deer and a pair of Formosan serow in return for the pandas.

Introducing the pandas at the pact-signing ceremony, Chen did not mention the names Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, which local analysts said might mark an effort by Beijing to avoid offending local pro-independence activists.

Asked whether the two pandas will be given new names after their arrival, Hau said last week that the city government has no plans to do so.

“At four years of age, the two animals have already reached full maturity. We should respect their rights and refrain from changing the names by which they have been called since shortly after their birth,” Hau argued.

Beijing has already issued an export permit for the transfer of the two pandas, Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairman Liu Te-hsun said over the weekend, adding that the animals are listed on the documents as being shipped from “Chengdu, Sichuan” to “Taipei, Taiwan.” According to Liu, filling in the export documents in this way is a common practice when Taiwan imports protected wild herbal species from China.

Although CITES requires identification of the “country of import” and “the country of origin” on any export permit covering trade or cross-border movement of Grade-One endangered species, both Taiwan and China have refrained from demanding having their national titles printed on the documents to avoid sovereignty disputes.

While Taiwan did not demand strict adherence to the CITES provisions to highlight cross-Taiwan Strait relations as a “state-to-state” relationship, an anonymous analyst said, China also did not use the term “Taipei, China” to belittle Taiwan or underscore its sovereignty claim.

“By so doing, the two sides have set yet another good example of shelving disputes in favor of peaceful development of bilateral ties,” the analyst added.

Panda’s website

The Taipei Zoo has created a website for Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan at http: //www.zoo.gov.tw/panda/english/index.htm. Photographs of the two animals can be seen on the site, which also includes an introduction on the concepts and methods of animal protection.

Zoo Director Jason Yeh said recently that the zoo has made enhancements to the interior of the panda hall and that the keepers have conducted a dry run to make sure there will be no hitches while they are caring for the two pandas.

He further said that ensuring the welfare of the animals will be the top priority when the animals are transported from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to the zoo.

Go to Source