Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki today officiated at a ceremony to welcome a pair of giant pandas presented by the central government to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region that arrived safely from Dujiangyan, Sichuan.

The two giant pandas, An An and Ke Ke, left the Dujiangyan Base of the China Conservation & Research Centre for the Giant Panda at 3.05am. They then left Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport this morning, arriving at Hong Kong International Airport at 11.05am.

At the ceremony, Mr Chan said: “It doubled the happiness to welcome the two recently matured and energetic giant pandas to join the Hong Kong family in the run-up to the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.”

He thanked the State Council’s Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office, the National Forestry & Grassland Administration, the China Conservation & Research Centre for the Giant Panda, and the Sichuan Provincial Government for their time and tremendous effort in arranging the transfer of the giant pandas to Hong Kong over the past few months.

“This fully demonstrates the central government's care and support for the Hong Kong SAR and recognises our efforts in the conservation, caring and rearing of giant pandas, which is of great significance to Hong Kong,” he added.

Upon their arrival in Hong Kong, the giant pandas were immediately transported to Ocean Park where they will undergo a one-month quarantine period, followed by approximately one month to adapt to their new environment.

Subject to the health and adaptation condition of the pandas, the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau will arrange for them to meet the public as early as possible.

The two giant pandas already had names while they were at the China Conservation & Research Centre for the Giant Panda, with the male panda being called An An and the female called Ke Ke.

To welcome them to the Hong Kong family, the bureau will soon hold a citywide naming competition, inviting all Hong Kong citizens to exercise creativity and suggest meaningful new names for the giant pandas that highlight their characteristics.

The bureau will also organise a large-scale painting competition, inviting members of the public to vividly depict the adorable nature of the giant pandas through their artwork. Details of the two competitions will be announced shortly.