Thursday November 12, 06:01 AM

China's Hu arrives in Singapore with panda offer

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China will give Singapore two giant pandas to mark 20 years of friendly ties between the two countries, Chinese President Hu Jintao said Wednesday.

Hu arrived in Singapore Wednesday for an annual summit of Asia-Pacific leaders, after visiting Malaysia where he made the first official visit of a Chinese leader in 15 years and signed several agreements on trade and investment.

After reviewing an honour guard upon arrival, Hu met Singapore President S.R. Nathan and the city-state's founding father, Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew.

Lee recently caused a ruffle among Chinese netizens when he called for the United States to remain engaged in Asia as a balance to China.

The gift of pandas, a popular attraction at zoos around the world, is often used by China as a diplomatic tool. China earlier this year gave two pandas -- Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, whose names said together mean reunification -- to Taiwan, which it regards as a renegade province, as a sign of warming relations.

The pandas, a male and a female, will arrive in the second half of 2011 and be housed at Singapore's new River Safari, according to Wildlife Reserves Singapore, the country's zoo operator.

(Reporting by Kevin Lim; Editing by Bill Tarrant)