Taiwan DPP authorities criticized over obstruction of Shanghai-Taipei red panda exchange

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday criticized Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in Taiwan for blocking a Shanghai delegation from attending a red panda event in Taipei, saying the move revealed their separatist nature and confrontational mindset.

Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks in response to a media query on the issue.

Taipei Zoo on Wednesday held a public debut event for two red pandas presented by Shanghai Zoo, which arrived in June. However, a Shanghai delegation scheduled to attend the event was unable to make the trip as DPP authorities rejected the entry applications.

"The arrival of the red pandas has been warmly welcomed by people on the island," Chen said, adding that the DPP authorities' repeated obstruction of cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation will inevitably face backlash from people in Taiwan.

The two red pandas presented by Shanghai Zoo are part of agreements reached at the 2024 Shanghai-Taipei City Forum on the exchange and conservation of red pandas, which includes further species exchange aimed at promoting resource complementarity and enhancing genetic diversity among populations.

This is not the first exchange of rare animals between the mainland and Taiwan. In 2014, Fujian Province in east China, which lies across the Taiwan Strait from Taiwan, presented three red pandas to Taipei Zoo.