Saturday, June 30, 2012
Ishihara suggestion to name panda cub after Senkakus irks China
Kyodo
BEIJING The Chinese Foreign Ministry slammed Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara on Friday for suggesting that if a giant panda on loan from China gives birth at a Tokyo zoo, the cub should be named after the Senkaku Islands, a cluster of Japan-controlled islets in the East China Sea also claimed by Beijing.
"Ishihara's scheme to undermine China-Japan relations is a clumsy performance. It will only tarnish the image of Japan and Tokyo," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a news conference.
In Tokyo on Thursday, Ishihara said that if a baby panda is born, it should be named "Sen Sen" or "Kaku Kaku," referring to a recent announcement by Ueno Zoo that the female giant panda Shin Shin has shown signs of being pregnant.
Giant pandas, endemic to southwestern China, are traditionally named with two identical Chinese characters, as a symbol of affection.
