From Beijing with Love: Hong Kong gifted third pair of giant pandas

The SAR government announced on Monday that the Central Government has agreed to gift another pair of giant pandas to Hong Kong and they will soon arrive in the next couple of months, sparking a heated debate among netizens on what the pandas’ names should be. 

The government has been in liaison with the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration to discuss the arrival arrangements of the giant pandas, a spokesman said. 

The spokesman also said that the government will immediately get on with preparatory work to ensure that the Ocean Park is fully geared up in taking care of the giant pandas. 

“The two pairs of giant pandas given by the Central Government in the past have accompanied generations of Hong Kong people, which is the collective memory of all,” Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said. 

“The new pair of giant pandas will become close ‘family members’ of Hong Kong people, bringing us laughter and joy,” Lee continued. 

The Hong Kong leader also expressed his deepest gratitude to the Central Government for gifting another pair of giant pandas and said this fully demonstrates its care and support for the city. 

Details of the arrangements for welcoming the giant pandas to Hong Kong will be announced in due course, the spokesman added.