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MAC rejects Wu's application to attend forum on gift pandas

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday rejected an application filed by the Taichung City Government to attend a forum on the pandas that China has promised to give to Taiwan. The rejection prompted dissent from the city's mayor, Jason Hu (胡志強).

China announced on May 4 that it would give a pair of giant pandas to Taiwan as a sign of friendship, following then-chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Lien chan's (連戰) trip to China.

While Beijing is yet to make a move to deliver the pandas, both the Taipei and Taichung city governments have actively sought to house the pandas.

In a bid to secure the pandas, the Taichung City Government assigned the director of its animal health inspection and quarantine institute, Wu Lung-tai (吳龍泰), to accompany a delegation to China to attend a forum on the animals. The group, comprised of KMT members and Taipei City Zoo representatives, left for China yesterday morning. Prior to his departure yesterday, Wu was suddenly informed that his trip had been canceled.

"I was confused about the government's decision to stop Wu from attending the forum, as it is just an academic forum," Hu said, adding that "I also worry that the decision means that the government is not going to accept the pandas."

When asked to respond to Hu's comment, MAC Vice Chairman Wei-Feng Huang (黃偉峰) said that Wu was not allowed to attend the forum because his trip was in violation of the regulations governing visits to China by public officials.

"In accordance with the government's regulations, public officials are only allowed to visit China to engage in exchanges or activities related to their fields of expertise. In view of this, the MAC considered Wu's plan to visit China not in line with his scope of business," Huang said.

"There are four main concerns to consider when deciding whether to accept the Chinese pandas or not. These are whether the recipient can provide a suitable living environment, whether they are capable to raise the pandas, whether the import adhere to quarantine procedures and whether Taiwan can gain the support from animal protection groups [in this venture]," he said.

Huang said that these main concerns cannot be dealt with properly by a mere city government's animal health inspection and quarantine institute.
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