China said Wednesday it was moving ahead with preparations to select two giant pandas to send to Taiwan as a goodwill gesture, even though Taipei has not yet accepted the offer.
Cao Qingyao, spokesman of the State Forestry Administration, said a giant panda couple of "sound fertility" will be picked from a giant panda research centre in the southwestern province of Sichuan, Xinhua news agency reported.
China will be willing to share techniques on panda breeding and reproduction with Taiwanese technicians, it said.
"Under the good care of the Taiwanese compatriots, the giant pandas will surely grow well and have their descendents," Cao was quoted as saying.
China's offer of the animals followed Taiwan opposition leader Lien Chan's visit to the mainland in April. China said they were a symbol of unity which will bring joy to the children of Taiwan.
Supporters of Taiwanese independence have dismissed the gift as a "propaganda ploy" designed to melt the hearts of the Taiwanese people and have urged the government to reject the bears.
China has been using "panda diplomacy" since the Cold War and has reportedly made at least three earlier attempts to give pandas to Taiwan, all of which have been rebuffed.
Taipei has been conciliatory about the latest offer, insisting its only concern is whether the animals can be looked after correctly, sentiments echoed by the wildlife group WWF.
Taiwan has been ruled as a de facto independent state since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, but Beijing still claims the island as its territory.
