Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) may not return from his historic trip to China with a solution to all cross-strait disputes -- but he could have Taiwan's first giant panda in tow, a local Chinese-language newspaper reported yesterday.
The paper said yesterday -- without mentioning a source -- that Chinese President Hu Jintao (
Lien and Hu are expected to meet in Beijing this week -- the first high-level contact between leaders of the two sides in more than five decades.
While not confirming the report, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Training
"Our animal specialists have had contacts with their mainland counterparts recently and have received a degree of training," Ma said.
The specialists will be ready to handle the job after given a further few months of intensive training, Ma said.
Ma said bamboo grown in Zhuzihu on Yangmingshan will supply food for the pandas, although more will have to be planted to meet the demand.
Imperiled species
However, as the panda is one of the imperiled species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), it still requires the approval of the agricultural authorities of both sides before it can be exported from China to Taiwan, Ma noted.
A zoo enclosure could be completed before year's end and staff training could be wrapped up within months -- at a cost of about NT$50 million (US$1.58 million).
Pandas are among the world's rarest animals. About 1,600 giant pandas survive in the wild, mostly in the mountains in southwestern China. Some 160 live in captivity.
Donating the rare animals to prominent world leaders is a tradition that goes back at least to 1972, when then US president Richard Nixon made a historic visit to China.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
RSS