BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- The giant panda couple Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan are free gifts for Taiwan compatriots, a mainland official reiterated here Monday.

    Jia Zhibang, director of the State Forestry Administration (SFA), at a press conference denied Taiwan media reports saying that any Taiwan organization, which hopes to accept and raise the giant panda couple, needs to pay the mainland a sum of money annually, and described the reports as groundless.

    Jia said, "We have made it clear that the giant panda couple, to be presented to the Taiwan compatriots, is a goodwill gift from the mainland compatriots, it's free and unconditional."

    "We are also glad to offer free assistance in building living places for the panda couple and provide technical support for raising the panda couple," Jia said.

    To help Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan to reproduce offspring in Taiwan, the mainland is also ready to facilitate exchanges of germplasm for giant pandas, Jia said.

    Giant pandas are national treasure and are deeply loved by compatriots from both sides of the Taiwan Straits, said Zhuo Rongsheng, head of the Wildlife Protection Department of the SFA.

    Presenting a pair of giant pandas to Taiwan compatriots reflected the profound friendship the mainland compatriots have shown to Taiwan compatriots, Zhuo said.

    We hope that Taiwan authorities concerned would fully consider the earnest hope of Taiwan compatriots and take a cooperative attitude on the issue of the giant panda couple, so that the panda couple could go to Taiwan soon, Zhuo said.

    "Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan now live a very happy life and they are in very good health. The two pandas get along well with each other," Zhuo said. "Tuan Tuan, the male panda, now weighs 48 kilograms, two kilograms more than his weight a month ago, and Yuan Yuan, the female panda, weighs 52 kilograms, four kilograms more than her weight a month ago."

    The two giant pandas, selected from 23 candidates, currently live at the Wolong China Giant Panda Research Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan.

    The mainland launched a public soliciting of the panda couple'spet names on Jan. 6, when the SFA unveiled the two pandas' identity. Organizers of the naming activity received tens of thousands of pairs of name for the panda couple.

    The most favored names for the pandas, selected by the public via the Internet voting or mobile phone short message ballots, areTuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, which have a combined meaning of "reunion" literally. The names were announced at the annual SpringFestival Eve entertainment party of China Central television (CCTV), live broadcast to hundreds of millions of Chinese viewers worldwide. However, the mainland has said the right to give formalnames to the pandas rests with the Taiwan compatriots themselves.

    "Wolong center has taken special measures to take care of the panda couple, they now live in a single place and are being looked after by skilled panda keepers," said Zhuo.

    Chen Yunlin, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, announced during then Kuomintang Party chief Lien Chan's mainland visit last May, that the mainland would donate a giant panda couple to Taiwan compatriots as a gift embodying the aspiration for peace, unity and fraternity of Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.

    The selection of the couple started last August. Following physical, genetic and psychological tests of 23 candidates, experts in October produced a list of 11 giant pandas, two of which would be made a match.

    However, when the giant panda couple would go to Taiwan remainsa question as the Taiwan authorities are still playing the admission of the giant pandas as a political card.

    According to Taiwan media reports, the authorities on the island said early last month that the giant pandas could not enter Taiwan without permission.

    Giant panda is one of the world's most endangered species and is found only in China. It is estimated that 1,590 giant pandas live in the wild in China. Those in captivity totaled 183 on the Chinese mainland at the end of last year. Enditem