Council of Agriculture Minister Lee Ching-lung (
Lee said the movement of the pandas from China to Taiwan was an issue for conservationists and other specialists, and that the council would not attach any preconditions to a transfer.
After former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (
Taiwan is a member of the global village, Lee said, and should abide by international animal conservation regulations.
If the Chinese government officially proposed sending pandas to Taiwan, the council would demand from Beijing a panda export permit issued by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Lee said.
As Taiwan has never hosted pandas, the council has maintained a cautious attitude, inviting local and overseas experts to evaluate which organization or zoo is capable of providing the animals with appropriate care.
As soon as Beijing applies to export the pandas, the evaluation team will begin its work. If necessary, Taiwanese officials could visit China to better understand the animals' requirements.
Taipei has been making a great effort to be awarded the right to house the pandas, Lee said, and he stressed that he would be very glad to discuss the issue with Ma.
Officials from a KMT think tank and the Taipei Zoo left for Sichuan Province on Friday to attend a "panda symposium," triggering a battle between Taipei and Taichung to secure the animals.
CLONING
Meanwhile, Lee said Taiwan had scored a major breakthrough in animal cloning by successfully cloning an "economic animal."
After years of effort, Lee said, the council had succeeded in using somatic cells to clone the animal that reportedly has economic and medicinal value.
Lee claimed that the council-developed technology is unique.
However, he would not reveal what kind of animal had been cloned. He only said that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) will "solve the riddle" early next month, and that the animals were neither dogs nor cats and of great potential value.
He further said the cloned animals are edible and safe, adding that they are not genetically modified and have instead been reproduced from somatic cells.
Lee said the council had done all the research itself, but some of the team members had also traveled to Britain for training.
"It took seven to eight years to come to this point at a cost of less than NT$100 million [US$3.1 million]. Thanks to the orientation of our research, we have made tremendous headway," Lee said.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
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