For once the complex relations between China and the breakaway island of Taiwan will be black and white. Taiwan’s new government has announced it is ready to accept a gift of a pair of pandas that were offered by Beijing as a goodwell gesture nearly three years ago.

The decision to receive the “unification” giant pandas is the latest sign in a warming of relations since President Ma Ying-jeou, of the Nationalist Party that favours reunification with China, took office in May after a strong election victory.

The Forestry Bureau, which had held out on the grounds Taiwan did not have the facilities to take care of two of China’s national treasures, gave the all-clear for the Taipei city zoo to provide a home to the bears. The endangered animals had become a political football with Taiwan’s previous government clearly unwilling to accept the furry young pair lest it be seen as edging away from its policy of greater independence for the self-ruled island.

But now Tuantuan and Yuanyuan – whose names together mean “reunion” – will be welcome. China first offered the pair – a male and a female and both cubs at the time -- in 2005 as a gesture of goodwill to push its unification agenda in Taiwan, which Bejing considers its territory.

Former President Chen Shui-bian, who wanted more distance, rejected the bears. His successor, Ma Ying-jeou, has said he welcomes them since taking office on a pro-China platform. Lee Tao-sheng, deputy director general with the Taiwan Forestry Bureau, said: "This is very positive news. Our survey showed that over half the population wants to see the pandas."

China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949, and Beijing has threatened to use force if the island formally declares statehood. Taipei's city zoo has spent 200 million Taiwan dollars ($3.43m) on equipment and a 765-square-metre panda facility. Its medical facilities and staff training have passed the forestry bureau's checks.

The two pandas, their names chosen in a nationwide competition in China, have lived in their own separate pen at the Wolong reserve in southwestern Sichuan province. Keepers told The Times that they were separated from their peers and kept together to ensure they developed a close relationship in readiness for their life in Taiwan. They were moved to a nearby reserve after the devastating earthquake in May severely damaged the centre, where both were born in China’s successful panda breeding programme.China now says it has some 1,590 pandas, most living in the mountains and bamboo forest of the rugged southwest.

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