Taipei is sending African penguins to Shanghai in alternate for crimson pandas in a bid to determine a cooperative relationship between the 2 cities by animal alternate.

The capital metropolis of Taiwan on Tuesday signed an settlement to alternate the animals throughout a uncommon go to by a Chinese language delegation led by Shanghai’s deputy mayor to the contested island for an annual city-to-city discussion board.

The Taipei Zoo mentioned that the settlement is targeted on animal alternate, skilled growth and collaborative analysis on wildlife conservation administration and cooperation in breeding.

The zoo is house to 11 crimson pandas, together with three breeding pairs, and used synthetic incubation to welcome seven new African penguins this 12 months.

The animal alternate programme comes amid heightened tensions between China and the self-governed island, which Beijing claims to be its territory.

China deployed its largest naval fleet in practically three many years within the waters round Taiwan that simulated a blockade with one string of ships off the island and a second farther out at sea. China hasn’t dominated out the usage of drive to convey the island underneath its sovereignty.

Taipei’s mayor, Chiang Wan-an, advised the visiting Chinese language delegation that he hoped for peace and wished much less of the “howls of ships and plane” across the island.

“Extra dialogue and fewer confrontation; extra olive branches of peace and fewer bitter grapes of battle. Extra lights from fishing boats to adorn the sundown; much less of the howls of ships and plane,” Mr Chiang, a member of Taiwan’s pro-China opposition occasion Kuomintang, mentioned.

“I all the time say that the extra tense and tough the second, the extra we have to talk.”

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Workplace of the State Council in Beijing, mentioned representatives of the 2 cities reached optimistic consensus that led to the signing of two memoranda of understanding on exchanges and cooperation.

“Compatriots on either side of the Taiwan Straits are Chinese language and one household and will have frequent exchanges and cooperation,” Ms Zhu mentioned, in response to Chinese language state media International Occasions.

“We are going to work with our compatriots within the Taiwan area to stick to the One China precept and the 1992 Consensus” and to oppose “Taiwan independence”, she added.

Ms Zhu claimed that some members of the Shanghai delegations and journalists had been “intentionally obstructed” by Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te’s Democratic Progress Social gathering, which made it “unimaginable for them to make the journey”.

She mentioned the ruling occasion’s actions had been “unreasonable and unpopular”.

The discussion board, first held in 2010, is without doubt one of the few high-level venues for talks between Chinese language and Taiwanese officers after China lower off an everyday dialogue mechanism with Taiwan’s central authorities in 2016 following the election of Tsai Ing-wen as president.