It seems that Lien Chan’s trip to China will have at least one concrete result: reports are that Hu Jintao is preparing to give him 2 panda bears as a gift.
China’s President Hu Jintao is planning to award opposition Kuomintang leader Lien Chan with China’s highest diplomatic offering when he meets with him on Friday — a clumsy pair of pandas, media reports said.
The shuffling, black-eyed animals from Sichuan will then be offered a new home at Taipei’s zoo in Mucha.
Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou said he thought the zoo could make the necessary preparations to house the bears in six months if the report was true.
As a present, it makes Lien’s gift of a book by his grandfather look a bit measly. Of course, we are left wondering what political significance we can attach to the leader of the KMT being given a couple of almost extinct animals …
To be more specific, nearly extinct animals that the PRC has spent much resources in saving for the sake of national pride.
Hey Lien also brought some fruit. You can’t dismiss the importance of fruit! (Actually they were meant to be symbolic for requesting the opening of agricultural markets, so I suppose they are actually useful, as opposed to the panda.)
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