From USA Today:
A pair of pandas at the Taipei Zoo go on public display for the first time today to celebrate the Chinese New Year. And they’re the cuddliest sign of warmer diplomatic ties between China and Taiwan.
The pandas were a gift from China and have names that combine to spell “reunion.” They were a symbolic gesture to Taiwan’s president, who was elected last year urging more economic ties while promising not to push independence for the self-ruled island.
Last month, daily direct flights began for the first time from Beijing to Taipei. In November, the rival governments agreed to open shipping and postal routes that had been blocked for six decades.