KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia welcomed the arrival of a new pair of giant pandas, “Chen Xing” and “Xiao Yue,” with the pair touching down at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Tuesday.
According to a report by The Star, the new pair were born in 2020. The male “Chen Xing” is described as robust and outgoing, while the female “Xiao Yue” is rounder and more docile.
The report quoted a statement by the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry as saying that the arrival of the pandas marked a symbol of the integrity and lingering friendship between the two countries.
The pandas are here thanks to a new agreement signed in April 2025 during the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Malaysia
Under the deal, Malaysia will host the young panda pair from 2025 to 2035 as part of the ongoing International Cooperation Project on Giant Panda Conservation.
The pair will be in Zoo Negara, the country’s national zoo, where they will undergo quarantine before being introduced to the Malaysian public.
The report noted that in May 2014, China and Malaysia launched their first round of international cooperation on giant panda conservation. This April, a joint statement signed by both countries announced their agreement to continue cooperative research on giant panda conservation, expressing hopes for further progress in the field.
The same programme that once brought Xing Xing and Liang Liang to Malaysia — and saw them welcome cubs here — is now ushering in a brand-new panda era with Chen Xing and Xiao Yue.
Chen Xing was born on 19 August 2020, while Xiao Yue was born on 29 September 2020.
