The two giant pandas offered by the Chinese mainland to Taiwan are likely to travel to the island next Tuesday. This was announced at a press conference by the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office on Wednesday.

Spokesman, Li Weiyi, said Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan will board a plane from Taiwan and be housed at the Taipei city zoo. He said the two sides of the Strait are discussing the last details about the flight, the quarantine of the animals and training of their keepers. The two are both four years old and their names, when put together as "tuan yuan", mean "reunion".

The mainland announced in 2005 that it would donate two giant pandas to Taiwan. Now the warming cross-Strait ties has made their journey possible after a delay of more than three years.

(CCTV December 18, 2008)