At Taipei Zoo, home to the Formosan flying fox and a large collection of rare bugs, staff are experiencing more than the usual levels of job-related stress.

“It’s definitely a big moment, not only for us but for Taiwan and the world,” Eric Tsao, a research scientist, said. “For us it’s like hosting the Olympics.”

Mr Tsao has good reason to feel the heat. Within weeks, his zoo is expecting the arrival of Tuantuan and Yuan-yuan, two pandas offered to Taiwan as a goodwill gesture by Beijing. The decision to accept the animals – whose names, when put together, mean “reunion” – was taken as a further sign of warming relations between mainland China and the island.

“It is a great honour to host these special pandas,” said Chien-Jen Yang, the deputy director of the zoo. “But tremendous pressure did come with it.”

The expected arrival of the pandas, who will live in a $9 million (£5 million) enclosure, was a symbol of reforms made by Ma Ying-jeou who, since becoming Taiwan’s President in May, has moved from confrontational policies of the previous administration to a resumption of talks with Beijing. A second round is due next month. After six decades of hostility – Beijing has claimed Taiwan as a renegade province since 1949 – a thaw is under way.

Direct weekend flights to the mainland now cross the Taiwan Strait and restrictions on mainland tourists have been eased. Direct shipping and cargo flights are next on the agenda.

President Ma told The Times last month that peace would be “remembered as the most important accomplishment of my administration”.

There is deep unease with the new agenda, however. Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Taipei this month to protest against the speed of the reforms and accused Mr Ma of making concessions to Beijing but reaping little benefit in return.

“The Government has been too friendly, it is giving away our rights,” Jacky Chang, 22, a graduate of National Taiwan University, said. “Ma said one thing before coming into power but is doing another now – before it was ‘Taiwan, Taiwan, Taiwan’, now it’s ‘China, China, China’.

“Some people support full independence, some don’t, but most people in Taiwan don’t see us as being part of China.”

Such distinctions are a minefield. A wildlife group became a focus of the row after changing its name from Wild Bird Federation Taiwan to Chinese Wild Bird Federation – a move that critics seized upon as more evidence of the Government failing to stand up to Beijing. Taipei insisted that its policy marked a détente rather than a drive for reunification, and that a peace deal could not be agreed until China removed the more than 1,000 missiles pointed at Taiwan. It said that maintaining a well-equipped and credible defence remained a priority, pointing to a new deal with the US – Taiwan’s chief military supplier – for a delivery of sea defence missiles.

Paul Chang, a Foreign Ministry official, said: “The Government puts Taiwan’s national interest and the well-being of its people above all else. We will neither bow down to Chinese pressure nor rely on its goodwill alone.”

Instead, the island is counting on the goodwill of its 23 diplomatic allies to support its latest bid for international recognition: to develop ties with agencies of the UN rather than seeking direct membership, which is restricted to sovereign states. Sceptics said the move was doomed.

“Most in the international community recognise the one-China policy, so where does that leave us?” said Alex Chiang, associate professor at the National Chengchi University. “There is a lot of wishful thinking; if we want change we have to take the issue to China and negotiate there.”

Back at Taipei Zoo Mr Tsao, confident that Beijing will at least deliver on its panda promise, has a diplomatic solution to the contentious names of the new arrivals. “For China the names may mean unified, but for us the meaning is more like a family reunion,” he said. “Panda politics symbolises how smart the two sides can be. You can spend more money on the military or on other things. We hope what is happening now will be good – not only for the pandas, but for everyone.”

Tradition of giving

— Panda diplomacy existed centuries ago, when Empress Wu Zetian (690-705) gave two to the Emperor of Japan

— In 1972 President Nixon was given a pair of pandas by Chairman Mao while visiting Beijing. Two years later Sir Edward Heath received a pair from Chairman Mao

— China offered the reunion pair to Taiwan in 2005, but the gift was refused

— In 2006 Robert Zoellick, the US Deputy Secretary of State, cuddled a five-month-old panda cub during a visit to China, which was seen widely as a signal that he wanted to improve Sino-US relations

Source: Times Archives

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