Reacting to the government's reluctance to accept China's offer of two pandas, the Taipei City Zoo and its advocates yesterday urged the government not to play "hide-and-seek" with the pandas or ignore the wishes of Taipei residents to receive them.
They said that if the government insisted on politicizing the panda offer and meddling in the issue, they will invite Taipei residents to sign a petition asking the government to listen to the people's voice.
"The Council of Agriculture promised to make a final decision by seeking professional opinions, and we expect them to keep their promise," said the Taipei City council deputy speaker Lee Hsin (李新) of the People First Party (PFP) at a press conference.
The council said that it would seek the opinion of conservationists and other experts, and would not be influenced by political considerations during their decision-making process. The final decision on whether to approve the pandas' entry will be announced by March 23.
Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) previously said that for pandas to enter the country, China would have to abide by the rules of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and allow Taiwan to sign an agreement as an "importing country" -- something he said was a practical impossibility.
Taipei Zoo President Chen Bao-chong (
"All the facilities in our panda house were specially designed for pandas. We also sent our staff to learn how to take care of pandas at zoos in Beijing, Japan and the US," he added.
The zoo filed its panda import application with the council in October, and a review panel will make a decision on whether it should be the pandas' home.
The city's Teachers Association, the city government's "panda team" and three children who won a panda-drawing contest held by the city zoo also issued their support for the city's bid to house the panda pair.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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