The Chinese mainland wishes the Taiwan authorities can accept the two innocent donated giant pandas and don't politicize the issue, a mainland official said Wednesday.

"It all depends on Taiwan authorities whether the giant pandas can arrive in Taiwan," said Li Weiyi, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

The mainland has donated two pandas to Taiwan symbolizing unity, friendship and peace, which is welcomed by Taiwan people. But recently, some personages in Taiwan declared that the giant pandas should live a free life in nature, a reporter said,

"From a professional perspective, both protection of natural habitat for endangered species and artificial propagation and breeding of them are important," Li said.

The mainland wildlife protection agencies and researchers have made outstanding achievements in protecting giant pandas, he said.

Currently, there are more than 1,800 giant pandas living in wild habitat and 180-plus giant pandas in captivity, he said.

Li said the two giant pandas embody links of flesh and blood between compatriots of the two sides.

A Chinese idiom "Fen Qin Zhu He" says the brutal actions to burn the musical instrument which can play melodious music and boil the crane, a noble bird, to eat.

On the issue of donated pandas, we hope that no similar brutal actions happen to destroy the good feelings between compatriots on the two sides, he said.

Source: Xinhua