The "Council of Agriculture" of Taiwan on Friday decided to decline the offer of two giant pandas from the Chinese mainland, sparking criticism in Taiwan that the issue had been politicized.

Taiwan media reported that the council made the decision in line with instructions from the Taiwan authorities, which had earlier asked the council to provide a report saying, "Taiwan can not accept the pandas for technical reasons, not for political reasons."

Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian and other officials had earlier expressed their intention to refuse the giant pandas entry to Taiwan.

Ma Ying-jeou, chairman of the Kuomintang party, said the issue had been subject to political influence.

He called on the Taiwan authorities to reconsider the offer from the technical perspectives.

The Taiwan authorities had said earlier that Taiwan was unsuitable as a habitat for giant pandas. A Taiwanese professor of veterinary science refuted the remark, saying Taiwan is capable of supporting giant pandas as Taipei has one of the best zoos in the world.

KMT spokesman Chang Jung-kung said the Taiwan authorities' rejection of the animals meant "they are obstructing peaceful coexistence and harmonious exchanges of two sides of the Taiwan Strait from a narrow ideological perspective".

The offer is regarded as a goodwill gesture by the mainland toward the Taiwan people. The mainland and some political parties in Taiwan had striven to improve relations between the two sides, estranged since the end of a civil war in the late 1940s.

According to Taiwan media reports, the council is expected to make a formal announcement on the offer on April 3.

Source: Xinhua