Taiwan Requests Veterinarian Support from China for Panda 'Tuan Tuan' Treatment

18-Year-Old Male Panda Symbolizing China-Taiwan Reconciliation Suspected of Brain Tumor
"Save the Panda" Taiwan's Treatment Support Request Answered by China

Male panda Tuan Tuan at Taipei Zoo. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Culture Young Intern Reporter] The panda 'Tuan Tuan,' a symbol of reconciliation between China and Taiwan, is reportedly battling illness. In response, Taiwan has requested assistance from Chinese veterinary experts to help treat the panda.

On the 27th, Chinese economic media Caixin reported that Tuan Tuan (團團), who turned 18 this year, showed signs of necrosis in the brain during a health checkup, raising suspicions of a brain tumor. It was also noted that physical changes such as slower movements and eating while lying down have been observed. In the wild, pandas have an average lifespan of about 24 years and can live up to 38 years.

On the 28th, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported that the Taipei Zoo sent an official letter to Taiwan's Council of Agriculture requesting permission for Chinese experts to visit Taiwan to assist in rescuing Tuan Tuan. In response, the Council of Agriculture expressed willingness to cooperate so that Chinese panda experts can treat Tuan Tuan.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China, said at a regular briefing that "Chinese panda experts are very concerned about this situation" and "are willing to provide technical support and assistance."

The male panda Tuan Tuan and the female Yuan Yuan (團團) are symbols of cross-strait reconciliation. In 2005, then Chinese President Hu Jintao held the first Kuomintang-Communist Party meeting since the division of the two sides with Lien Chan, chairman of Taiwan's Kuomintang, and expressed his intention to gift Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan. However, the plan was not realized due to opposition from Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party at the time.

Later, after the pro-China Ma Ying-jeou took office in Taiwan, the two pandas arrived in Taiwan in December 2008. The reason for naming them Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan is that combined, their names form 'Tuan Yuan (團圓),' which in Chinese means 'reunion after separation,' symbolizing unification. In 2013, a baby panda named Yuan Zai (圓仔) was born to them.

The pro-China Kuomintang in Taiwan interpreted this positively, but the independence-seeking Democratic Progressive Party opposed it, calling it a Chinese unification operation. Additionally, tensions across the strait have escalated since U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.