China's central government will present another pair of pandas to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) to mark the 10th anniversary of its return to China, according to the State Forestry Administration on Wednesday.

The pandas will meet the Hong Kong public in the first half of this year, said administration spokesperson Cao Qingyao.

The Chinese mainland presented the first pair of pandas, "An An" and "Jia Jia", to Hong Kong in 1999.

The Hong Kong SAR government requested a second pair of pandas last September. The State Council approved the request two months later.

Cao said the administration will select a pair of "lively, healthy and young" pandas for Hong Kong.