By Rich Chang Staff reporter, with CNA
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators said yesterday that they would sue government officials for corruption “if they dare to accept the gift of pandas from China.”
Beijing offered Taiwan two pandas during former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan’s (連戰) trip to China in 2005.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES
The government of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) nixed the idea because China considered the offer of pandas a “domestic transfer” between zoos. However, the Council of Agriculture approved the importing of the animals shortly after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took office on May 20.
Noting that the importing of pandas is subject to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), DPP legislative whip Chang Hwa-kuan (張花冠) told a press conference that “if any government officials dares accept the pandas as a gift, the DPP caucus will file suit against them for corruption and inappropriate acceptance of gifts.”
Pandas are listed as an Appendix I animal in CITES, which is an agreement between governments to ensure that the trading of wild animals and plants do not hurt these species’ prospects for survival. Animals and plants listed in Appendix I are those under the threat of extinction and are prohibited from being traded commercially.
“Although pandas are cute, Taiwan must not lose its sovereignty over the pandas,” Chang said.
DPP Department of Culture and Information Director Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said China is using the tactic of offering Taiwan the pandas to convince the international community that Taiwan is part of China’s territory.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) suggested yesterday that the government deal with the panda issue with more “flexibility,” adding that whether the nation’s sovereignty would be an issue if the pandas came to Taiwan depended on “how everyone handled it.”
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said: “Under the Constitution, China is also part of the Republic of China. There is nothing wrong with us receiving the pandas as a gift.”
Meanwhile, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) refused to respond to reports yesterday that Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), president of China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, hopes to visit Taiwan and bring along the pandas.
“It’s too early to talk about the matter, because the date for the second round of cross-strait talks has not even been set,” Lai said.
Local media reported that Chen said he hoped that he could come to Taiwan with the two pandas aboard the same charter flight.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe
MUST REMAIN FREE: A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would lead to a global conflict, and if the nation blows up, the world’s factories would fall in a week, a minister said Taiwan is like Prague in 1938 facing Adolf Hitler; only if Taiwan remains free and democratic would the world be safe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The ministry on Saturday said Corriere della Sera is one of Italy’s oldest and most read newspapers, frequently covers European economic and political issues, and that Wu agreed to an interview with the paper’s senior political analyst Massimo Franco in Taipei on Jan. 3. The interview was published on Jan. 26 with the title “Taiwan like Prague in 1938 with Hitler,” the ministry
RSS