REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BEIJING -- The governments of Indonesia and China are set to re-discuss the delayed plan to exchange a Komodo dragon with a giant panda, according to Santo Darmosumarto, the spokesman of Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, on Thursday (2/4).

He remarked that the Komodo dragon-panda swap deal had already been initiated by China through its representative office in Jakarta.

"The plan was initiated when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Jakarta in October 2013, but then it got delayed because both parties had yet to agree on the funds set by the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA)," Darmosumarto explained.

He pointed out that the CWCA had proposed an amount worth US$300 thousand to be paid by Indonesia for a panda that would be exchanged with a Komodo dragon.

"China does have provisions to lend a panda to every country that has become its strategic partner, but the country must pay the cost that will be channeled to the center of panda conservation and breeding in Chengdu," Darmosumarto noted.

He affirmed that in order to finalize the plan related to the exchange of a komodo dragon with a panda, the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature.

Conservation of the Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia and CWCA will again meet to discuss the matter.

In the meantime, the Indonesian Safari Garden has prepared the area and enclosure where the panda will be housed and bred.

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