The first special municipality mayor to visit China, Hau will stay in Shanghai for five days to finalize arrangements for the import of two giant pandas as well.

Taipei’s city zoo is planning to accommodate the two cuddly animals, presented to then Kuomintang chairman Lien Chan in 2005. They could not come to Taiwan because of the opposition by the Democratic Progressive Party government.

Hau will sign contracts with organizers of the Shanghai Expo.

Terry Gou, chairman of Hon Hai precision industries group, has promised to donate at least NT$300 billion for building and operating a Taipei Pavilion at the world exposition. Hau was able to visit China, though Jason Hu, mayor of Taichung, can’t.

According to the Statute Governing Relations between the Peoples in the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, a mayor may, with permission from the Mainland Affairs Council, visit China to attend an international meeting.

The mayor of Taipei would be attending “an international meeting” in Shanghai.

Hu is barred because he is scheduled to lead a delegation to China to attract Chinese tourists to Taichung. Promotion of tourism does not fall under the category of international conferences.

Tourists may come to Taiwan starting July 4 after agreements were signed in Beijing to start direct charter flights across the Taiwan Strait at weekends and to let tourists come from China to visit the island.

The MAC is amending the statute to promote tourism across the strait. But before the amendment is put into force, no mayors or county magistrates are allowed to visit China to attract tourists to Taiwan.

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