Taiwan authorities should actively respond to the offer of a pair of giant pandas as a gift by the Chinese mainland, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said yesterday.

actively respond to the offer of a pair of giant pandas as a gift by the Chinese mainland, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said yesterday. " hspace=0 src="/images/404/404.jpg" align=baseline border=1> Taiwan experts play with a giant panda at the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre in Wolong, southwest of China's Sichuan province August 27, 2005. The experts are visiting the centre to discuss details about the selection of two giant pandas that will be sent to Taiwan. [newsphoto]

Spokesman Li Weiyi told a regular press conference that the mainland side has done a great deal in preparation for sending the animals.

"We hope relevant departments in Taiwan will make an active response, so that our Taiwan compatriots can see the lovely pair of pandas as soon as possible," he said.

The mainlanddecided to send a pair of pandas to Taiwan as a gesture of goodwill when Lien Chan, the former chairman of the Kuomintang, visited the mainland in May.

According to Li, panda selection is underway and relevant departments are soliciting names for the pair.

The State Forestry Administration announced on June 1 that the pandas will be chosen from the Wolong Nature Reserve in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Some leading zoologists from Taiwan were invited on Monday to discuss technical issues of breeding pandas on Taiwan, a tropical island.

But so far Taiwan authorities have been anything but welcoming to the offer. The Democratic Progressive Party administration has described the mainland's offer as "united front tactics," and flatly refused to treat the offer as an internal affair.

Instead, it insisted the issue be dealt with in line with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which regulates state-to-state trade in endangered species.

On the issue of fruit imports, another result of Lien's landmark visit, Li said that thanks to the mainland's exemption of import tariffs on 15 kinds of fruit from Taiwan, farmers there can benefit from the large mainland market.

Statistics indicate that more than 400 tons of fruit were imported to the mainland from the island during the July-August period.

The mainland offers convenience for the import and quarantine of farm produce from Taiwan, said Li.

Various exhibitions and trade talks have been held to promote Taiwan fruit and other farm produce on the mainland market. So far, high-quality Taiwan fruit have entered major mainland markets in cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen and Ningbo, Li said.

In addition, a special office has been set up to deal with Taiwan business people on the mainland to protect their rights and interests.

The establishment of the petitions co-ordination bureau, under the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, shows the mainland attaches great importance to the protection of the rights and interests of Taiwan business people, said Li

In another development, the Taiwan authorities announced yesterday that from Monday it would for the first time allow the exchange of the mainlandcurrency, renminbi or yuan, on Kinmen and Matsu, two small islands close to the mainland, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The exchange of currencies would be limited to a maximum of 20,000 yuan or 82,000 New Taiwan dollars (US$2,500) per person.

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