Ma Ying-jeou enjoys a Sichuan opera face-changing performance on ?? ??? ??Dec 25, 2024. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, expressed his hopes for the possibility of more pandas in Taiwan when the relations between the two sides across the Taiwan Strait grow better.

Leading over 20 Taiwan students, Ma visited the Dujiangyan base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda on Wednesday and engaged in discussions with panda experts who accompanied two pandas from Sichuan to Taiwan when the mainland gifted the pair to the island in 2008.

Ma emphasized the strong affection of the Taiwan people for pandas, considering them a vital symbol of the cross-Strait connection.

The group also toured the Dujiangyan Irrigation System built around 256 BC in Sichuan, and enjoyed a Sichuan opera face-changing performance.

The group left Sichuan for Taiwan on Thursday. Before exploring the history and culture of Sichuan, they participated in cross-Strait youth ice and snow activities in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. It's the third time that Ma has visited the mainland.