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Taiwan on Friday declined to accept a goodwill gift of two giant pandas from the mainland, a decision that has met with criticism from across the Taiwan Straits.

 

One mainland expert on Taiwan described the decision as "an unwise and short-sighted move" that will only increase Taiwan people's dissatisfaction with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

 

The island's "council of agriculture" announced late on Friday that Taiwan was unable to accept the animals because they would not receive proper care in Taiwan as required by animal protection laws and international agreements.

 

"Under present circumstances, we cannot accept the pandas in Taiwan," said Lee Tao-sheng from the "council of agriculture."

 

He added that the decision had been made in accordance with "wild animal conservation laws," adding that "the majority of conservation groups and experts were opposed to importing the giant pandas."

 

Lee said applications to house the pandas from Taipei City Zoo and the Leofoo Village Theme Park, located in Hsinchu County, did not focus enough on research and education.

 

"The current plans to exhibit and strengthen the teaching of wildlife protection are not concrete enough," Lee told reporters after final discussions by a panel of experts, without elaborating.

 

The zoo and the park, however, said they had invested heavily in facilities for the endangered animals and could accommodate them.

 

Beijing made the panda offer as a goodwill gesture last May when Lien Chan, the then leader of Taiwan's Kuomintang (KMT), visited the mainland.

 

The pandas were picked from 11 animals at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province. They were named "Tuantuan" and "Yuanyuan," from the Chinese word tuanyuan that means "reunion."

 

Friday's announcement came a week after Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian urged mainland leaders to keep the pandas in their natural habitat.

 

Although the mainland gesture was well received by more than 70 percent of Taiwan people, the independence-minded Chen and his DPP administration have repeatedly denounced the offer as a propaganda ploy.

 

Li Jiaquan, a senior researcher with the Institute of Taiwan Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Taipei's decision was politically motivated.

 

"The sole reason is that Chen and his DPP administration fear closer cross-Straits exchanges will foil their secessionist attempts," he told China Daily.

 

"They have done their best to worsen cross-Straits relations rather than seek peace and stability."

 

The researcher stressed that the DPP's rejection of the pandas went against the common aspirations of people across the Straits for stable bilateral ties.

 

"By putting their self-interests above public welfare, the DPP will further erode people's support for them," Li said.

 

The KMT immediately criticized the DPP administration's rejection of the pandas.

 

"There is absolutely no doubt that the rejection was made out of political considerations," said Chang Jung-kung, director of the KMT's mainland affairs division.

 

(China Daily April 1, 2006)