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LEAD: Taiwan turns down China's panda offer+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TAIPEI, March 31_(Kyodo) _ (EDS: UPDATING) Taiwan on Friday turned down rival China's offer of two giant pandas, a move likely to further strain cross-strait relations. At a cross-department conference, the applications submitted by the Taipei City Zoo and a Hsinchu-based private zoo to import the pandas were formally rejected. "The consensus reached by all the participants at the conference was that at the current stage we are not able to issue official permits needed for the above zoos to apply for the exportation of pandas from China," Lee Tao-sheng, director general of the Forestry Bureau under the Agricultural Ministry, told a press conference. Citing international laws stipulating trade of endangered animals, Lee said the zoos are not well-prepared in terms of breeding skills and facilities and thus are not qualified to house the two pandas. The offer was extended last spring following talks between Lien Chan, then leader of Taiwan's opposition Nationalist Party, and Chinese President Hu Jintao. Over the past few months, the independence-leaning Taiwan government had said the issue would be settled based on professional reviews by agricultural, environmental and animal protection experts. China sees the self-governing island as part of its territory that should be reunited by force if necessary. It has refused to deal with President Chen Shui-bian's administration since he took office in 2000. Instead, the Chinese authorities have sought to enhance bilateral exchanges with the opposition forces favoring reconciliation with the mainland. Earlier Friday, the opposition urged the government to try to embrace China's olive branch instead of citing technical reasons to decline the panda offer. |