The central government will send a pair of giant pandas to Macao as gift to celebrate the special administrative region's 10th anniversary of the return to the motherland, President Hu Jintao said on Saturday.

He made the announcement at a welcoming banquet hosted by Macao SAR government, as the president is in the city to mark the event.

"The pandas will bring joy to the people of Macao," he said. But the president didn't say when the pandas will be shipped to Macao.

The central government sent two giant pandas, Ying Ying and Le Le, to Hong Kong in 2007 to mark Hong Kong's 10th anniversary of return.