Beijing will send a pair of giant pandas to Hong Kong in a gift meant to mark the July 1 handover anniversary. Photo: EPA-EFEBeijing will gift two pandas to Hong Kong in commemoration of the 27th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule, the chief executive has said, as he set out governance directions to mark the start of his third year in office.
In his keynote address at the handover ceremony on Monday, city leader John Lee Ka-chiu said the pandas would arrive “in months” and pledged to focus on developing the economy, improving people’s livelihoods, exploring new growth areas and seizing opportunities offered by mainland China and the world.
“Hong Kong will soon welcome two new family members: a pair of giant pandas,” Lee said at the reception attended by Beijing officials and representatives from different sectors at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.
“I am deeply grateful to the central government for its care and support, and for considering my proposal of sending us a pair of giant pandas.
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“We will start the preparation work immediately. The giant pandas will arrive in Hong Kong in a few months, bringing us amusement and happiness.”
In a separate statement, Lee said the two pairs of giant pandas that Beijing had previously sent to Hong Kong had brought joy to generations of residents, adding they were “in the collective memory of all”.
The new pair will be cared for by Ocean Park. The government has been liaising with the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration regarding arrangements.
The first pair of pandas – An An and Jia Jia – were gifted to Hong Kong by Beijing on the second anniversary of its return to Chinese rule in 1999. They were the oldest giant pandas in captivity at the time of their death in 2016 and 2022, respectively.
Ying Ying and Le Le arrived in the city in 2007. They are aged 18 years, equivalent to 54 human years.
Both pairs failed to produce offspring.