Red Pandas Expected to Arrive in Taipei; Chiang Wan-an: Not a Breach for Infiltration

(Central News Agency, reporters Liu Jianbang and Chen Yuting, Taipei, June 5) Two red pandas are expected to arrive in Taipei from Shanghai on June 6. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an described this as a concrete achievement of city-to-city exchanges between Taipei and Shanghai. DPP legislators argued that Chiang should explain the conditions and costs of this gift; Chiang Wan-an stated today that he does not consider this a breach for infiltration.

The Taipei City Government and the Shanghai City Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on red panda species exchange at the 2024 Taipei-Shanghai City Forum, planning to exchange black-footed penguins for red pandas from the Shanghai Zoo. According to a notification from the Shanghai side, the Shanghai Zoo will hold a handover ceremony for the two red pandas on June 1.

When asked about the red panda handover issue during a media scrum before heading to the city council for questioning yesterday, Chiang Wan-an responded that the two red pandas are expected to arrive in Taiwan from Shanghai on June 6. He called it a concrete result of Taipei-Shanghai city exchanges, expressed hope to meet the public after one month of quarantine, and did not rule out opening a public vote for naming.

However, DPP Taipei City Councilor Chien Shu-pei stated on Facebook that as the Shanghai red pandas are about to arrive in Taipei, Mayor Chiang Wan-an yesterday, alongside KMT councilors, praised this as a specific achievement and political accomplishment of the Taipei-Shanghai Forum.

Chien Shu-pei said that the fact is Chiang Wan-an personally went to Shanghai in 2023 and, in a closed-door meeting, took the initiative to request that the red pandas be brought to Taiwan the following year. However, the MOU was only signed in 2024, and in 2025, the vaccine and quarantine procedures were repeatedly delayed. It was only this year, an election year for the Taipei mayor, that permission was granted.

Chien Shu-pei stated that this was not something Chiang Wan-an secured, but rather something the Chinese Communist Party granted at a chosen time. She demanded that Chiang Wan-an explain to the citizens the conditions and costs of this gift, questioning whether it is a result of the Taipei-Shanghai Forum or a political prop carefully prepared by Beijing for the Taipei mayoral election.

DPP Taipei City Councilor Ho Meng-hua also mentioned on Facebook that in March of this year, the Taipei Zoo had already imported a female red panda named "Xixi" from the Asahiyama Zoo in Japan. She noted that despite being the same species, the red pandas are treated differently based on their country of origin, being regarded merely as a routine zoo exchange matter.

She expressed hope that Mayor Chiang would properly explain why such a simple animal exchange carries so many political overtones. She stated that she is always happy to see normal exchanges between China and Taiwan, including this red panda arrival. However, she pointed out that while this is a common type of international animal exchange, this particular exchange has encountered significantly more obstacles compared to exchanges between Japan and Taiwan or Taiwan and other countries.

When asked about the red panda handover issue during a media scrum before attending an event at the city council this morning, Chiang Wan-an said that species exchange is very important. He stated that this animal exchange with Shanghai can enhance genetic diversity and provide more life education, which is very meaningful for children.

Chiang Wan-an then said, regarding the arrival of the red pandas, "I don't think anyone would consider this a breach for infiltration. At the same time, I think the DPP might need to unify its internal opinions and cross-check with each other to avoid self-contradiction." (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 1150605