SHOTLIST Beijing - 17 December 2008 1. Wide interior of State Council, Taiwan Affairs Office news conference 2. Cutaway of media 3. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin), Li Weiyi, Spokesman for the State Council, Taiwan Affairs Office: "The people of the mainland express their deep feelings towards their compatriots in Taiwan regarding the two pandas 'tuantuan' and 'yuanyuan'. We hope they can bring the deep happiness to our compatriots in Taiwan." Wolong, Sichuan province - 6 May 2008 4. Various of pandas "tuantuan"and "yuanyuan" in Wolong Panda Centre Beijing - 17 December 2008 5. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Li Weiyi, Spokesman for the State Council, Taiwan Affairs Office: "It will furthermore strengthen the exchange of people across the strait; bridge the gap between the compatriots across the straits; and it plays a very important role in pushing forward the exchanges and cooperation between the two sides." Tianjin - 15 December 2008 6. Various of ceremony that launched the direct shipping link Beijing - 15 December 2008 7. Various of launch of direct post service link STORYLINE: China said on Wednesday that it plans to send two pandas to rival Taiwan next week - the latest symbols of warming ties between the two sides. Beijing first offered the pandas to Taiwan in 2005, but Taiwan's former leaders resisted the move, saying it was part of Chinese efforts to persuade the island to unify with the mainland. Taiwan's current President Ma Ying-jeou, however, has tried to nurture closer ties with the mainland and accepted the pandas as a goodwill gesture. Chinese state media said last week that crate training and comfort food were part of the preparations for the trip for the two pandas. The two are named "Tuan Tuan" and "Yuan Yuan," which when linked mean "reunion" in Chinese. State media reported the two will travel to the Taipei Zoo accompanied by a veterinarian and a panda keeper, who will bring along a week's supply of the pair's favourite foods - bamboo, apples and steamed cornbread - to ease the adjustment. In return for the pandas, Taiwan will send to China two Formosan serows, which are goat-like mammals unique to Taiwan. China also commented on the "three direct links" between the two countries on Wednesday. "The launch of three direct links plays a very important role in strengthening exchange and cooperation between the two sides," the spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office told reporters at a regular press conference. China launched daily air and direct maritime links with rival Taiwan on Monday, hoping to begin a new era in the long tense relationship between the sides. Direct postal links were also initiated. In the nearly 60 years since Taiwan and the mainland split amid civil war, their relations have alternated between hostile and downright bellicose, marked by Chinese threats to invade, and Taiwanese threats to make their break permanent. While Monday's initiatives are aimed at ending all that, analysts warn that unless the moves bring concrete economic benefits to Taiwan's 23 (m) million people, their positive impact could well be short lived. China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949. Beijing continues to claim the self-governing island as part of its territory, and has been using a blend of threats and diplomacy to try to bring Taiwan back into its fold. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/612c5c24283a7b39366ac343aa635ccf Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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