The Chinese mainland unveiled Friday the two giant pandas for Taiwan compatriots. It is the second selection of pandas to be offered to Taiwan since 1987.

The giant panda is one of the world's most endangered species and is found only in China. It is estimated that 1,590 giant pandas live wild in China. Those in captivity totaled 183 in the Chinese mainland by the end of 2005.

Here is a chronology of key events since the panda offer to Taiwan was first put forward in 1987.

January 1987: The 3rd Session of the 7th Council of All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots adopted the motion of offering a couple of giant pandas to Taiwan put forward by council member Liu Caipin and other members.

Set up in Beijing in 1981, the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots acts as a bridge for exchanges between the government and the Taiwan group.

April 1987: The delegation of Taiwan Province to the 5th Session of the 6th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, made the proposal of donating giants pandas to Taiwan compatriots.

The Beijing Municipal Zoo offered immediately to send a couple of pandas to the Mu Zha Zoo of Taipei.

Thereafter, non-governmental personages in Taiwan actively pushed for the acceptance of pandas from the Chinese mainland, and relevant departments of the motherland repeated many times the willingness to donate giant pandas to Taiwan, and they also offered to teach breeding techniques and train panda raisers for Taiwan.

Early 1990: The China Wildlife Conservation Association picked two artificially raised cub pandas, "Ling Ling" and "Le Le," to be offered to Taiwan.

However, the Taiwan authorities turned down many times the panda offer on the pretext that imported giant pandas were not suitable for display, it needs two males and four females for panda mating, and giant pandas were not a "species of Taiwan."

Late 2001: The Chinese mainland again proposed to send giant pandas to Taiwan at a workshop on protecting indigenous animals across the Taiwan Straits held in Taipei, but it produced no results due to the same excuses held by the Taiwan authorities.

May 2005: Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, announced that the Chinese mainland compatriots would present a couple of giant pandas to Taiwan compatriots as a symbol of peace, unity and friendship.

The announcement started a "panda craze" in Taiwan and zoo officials have been preparing and vying for acceptance of pandas. Relevant specialists appealed to the Taiwan authorities not to use politics once again to hamper the panda offer.

However, since last May the Taiwan authorities has been delaying the approval of the accepting pandas under the excuse of whether the import of giant pandas will tally with "international goal" in animal protection, whether it is urgent for Taiwan to import pandas, whether Taiwan zoos have enough manpower, and the issue of the health and breeding of the giant pandas.

A giant panda has an average life expectancy of between 30 to 40 years, and the nominated giant panda "Ling Ling" in 1987 is today a senior at the age of 21.

Whether the new generation of giant pandas announced Friday for Taiwan will be able to depart for the island is yet to be known.

Source: Xinhua