First, a pair of giant pandas have finally arrived in Taiwan from their home in Sichuan in a hoopla rarely seen on this island for decades. Tuan-tuan and Yuan-yuan flew in by special plane directly (thanks to the three mini-links) just before Christmas to their new, six-star residence at the Mucha Zoo in suburban Taipei. Their arrival is a harbinger of cross-strait spring because of the political climate change. Ma Ying-jeou of the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang won an overwhelming mandate in the presidential election last March, paving the way for the pandas' long-awaited journey to Taiwan. Ma's predecessor, Chen Shui-bian of the separatist Democratic Progressive Party, viewed the gift from China as a Trojan horse.

Second, the long-heralded Santong, or three direct transport, trade-investment and postal links across the Strait, became reality last month after a six-decade ban. With the establishment of direct air and shipping service, Taipei and Shanghai are as close as New York and Chicago. Tourism and trade are expected to boom and people of the two sides will be drawn closer.

More important, perhaps, is the unmistakable message from mainland Chinese president Hu Jintao, who indicated on Wednesday that Taiwan's aspiration for participation in international activities, or "greater international space" in Taiwan's parlance, could be realized through cross-strait negotiations.

Indeed, Jan. 1, 1979 was a momentous day for both sides. Besides the historic open letter that marked the ending of the shelling of Kinmen by the People's Liberation Army since 1958, the day also marked America's diplomatic recognition of China, a nightmarish day for Taiwan which suffered its worst diplomatic setback since its ouster from the United Nations in 1971.It appears totally possible to come up with a condition not causing "two China's or one China and one Taiwan." Examples abound. Taiwan is a member of the World Trade Organization and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, plus a number of other international organizations like the International Olympic Committee, under the name Chinese Taipei that doesn't suggest sovereignty. If this model has work well with the WTO and APEC, it should work with the WHA.

As a first step, Chinese Taipei should be allowed to obtain an observer's status at the WHA, if not a membership in WHO. This symbolic step must be taken if Hu is really serious about "the feelings of our Taiwan compatriots." Judging from Hu's pragmatism and shrewdness, there is reason to hope for the best outcome. Otherwise, Hu's message would be nothing but inanities for propaganda. Hu is wise enough to know he has much to gain and little to lose making good on his words.

There is more to Hu's olive branch. He called for cross-strait negotiations on ending hostilities and concluding a peace agreement. Peace and prosperity are the be-all, end-all for the economic and political development of both sides. The mainland's "peaceful rise" to the forefront of the world's powers would not have been possible without peace and stability. For Taiwan, its future is irrevocably intertwined with the mainland, its largest market and lifeline of its export-driven economy. A cross-strait peace accord is important, though it is a long shot compared to the WHA issue.

Of course, critics would dismiss Hu's message as nothing new and a "one China" trap. It is, because his predecessor Jiang Zemin had said similar things, like "under the principle of one China, everything is negotiable." But times have changed. President Ma Ying-jeou is unlike his two predecessors who are die-hard secessionists hostile to China. Both Ma and Hu are pragmatists eager to seek similarities rather than magnifying differences. Ma recognizes a historical, geographical, and cultural one China, and that provides the common language for negotiations.

Since Ma's inauguration last May, cross-strait relations have started to thaw –Taiwan's generous donation to the Sichuan earthquake, participation in the Beijing Olympics, the historic Santong (three links), just to mention a few. Year 2009 is ushered in with propitious signs for a cross-strait spring when flowers will be blossoming 30 years after the CCP waved its olive branch to Taiwan.