China sent two of its prized giant pandas to Taiwan Tuesday, the latest installment of a charm offensive aimed at persuading the island's people to embrace their Communist rival.
Millions of Taiwanese watched the televised arrival of Tuan Tuan, a male panda, and his female companion, Yuan Yuan, at Taipei airport. The pandas, the first to inhabit the island, are typically loaned in pairs with the hope they will mate.
A charm offensive, indeed:
Call me suspicious, but I have always expected a Chinese charm offensive prior to an actual offensive to conquer Taiwan in order to gain the element of surprise[.]
The Taiwanese need to be wary of the bear hug that Peking is extending to them. That kind of embrace tends to be rather stifling and will never end happily.
UPDATE: The opposition in Taiwan is certainly aware of the problems of the Trojan Pandas landing in Taiwan:
Legislative aides from Taiwan's pro-independence opposition donned panda suits Wednesday, part of a public relations effort by anti-China lawmakers to paint the mainland's panda gift as a stalking horse for its pro-unification agenda.
If enough Taiwanese people as well as Japanese and American leaders believe the threat of a Chinese attack is over, reflexes will be dulled in those countries, and China may get the time they need to steal a march on Taipei.
This may sound odd, but I hope none of the pro-independence people decide to kill the pandas as a statement against Peking. Killing adorable pandas being used a tool for a communist regime will help the communist regime's goals. Which might be the ideal outcome from Peking's point of view, of course.
