Officials at Taiwan’s largest zoo said the move follows their formal application for an import license to bring the endangered animals to the island.

“Considering the climate, November-December is the best season to move the two giant pandas here,” said zoo spokesperson Chin Shih-chien.

“If everything goes smoothly, they could be brought to Taiwan in November at the earliest.”

Chin said he expected the pandas to spark a frenzy among Taiwanese animal lovers, drawing as many as six million visitors to the zoo annually.

The move is yet another sign of the island’s increasing openness to China since the election earlier this year of China-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou.

Former president Chen Shui-bian had banned importing Chinese pandas during his tenure, alleging that Beijing was looking to curry favor with Taiwan’s people through so-called “panda diplomacy.”

Beijing made the panda offer during a historic trip to China in 2005 by Taiwan’s then opposition leader, Honorary Chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT), Lien Chan.

The pandas were named by Chinese people in a national poll as “Tuan Tuan” and “Yuan Yuan,” which comes from the Chinese-language phrase “tuan yuan,” meaning “reunion” in English.

They are expected to make their public debut during the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year holidays in Taipei, after they get accustomed to their new living environment.

Taipei’s city government says it has invested about NT$250 million in building a panda house.

The zoo’s next step is to arrange for the pandas’ transport. Officials are seeking to arrange a direct flight from Sichuan to Taiwan — about a 3.5-hour flight.

Both of the two largest air carriers, China Airlines and EVA Airways, are fighting to get the high-profile mission of delivering the pandas.

But some airlines in China that have taken part in direct weekend flights across the Taiwan Strait are also trying to land the business opportunity.

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