Mainland´s panda pair ready to go

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Source: CCTV.com | 12-23-2008 09:02

Relations across the Taiwan Strait have improved significantly after years of tension. Two giant pandas will travel to Taiwan on Tuesday as a gift of goodwill from the Chinese mainland.

A ceremony is being held there to mark the historical event  and wish the animals a safe journey.

A ceremony is being held there to mark the historical event and wish the animals a safe journey. Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, both four years old, now live in Ya'an. Their previous home, the Wolong Nature Reserve, was seriously damaged in the massive May 12th earthquake.

Weather permitting, a plane from Taiwan-based EVA airlines will depart with Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, at 2pm Beijing time today. The aircraft is expected to reach Taipei about three hours later.