Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a newly-constructed panda house in Moscow Zoo on Wednesday during President Xi's state visit to Russia.

Presidents Xi and Putin visited the "two residents" of the house, Ding Ding and Ru Yi. The panda house in Moscow Zoo was specially prepared for them.

Female panda Ding Ding is nearly two years old and her birthday is July 30. Male panda Ru Yi is a year and a day older than Ding Ding, who celebrates his third birthday on July 31.

The pair was sent to Russia for a 15-year collaborative research project between the two countries, which was announced in April this year. By the end of the month, the giant pandas bade farewell to their home in Sichuan and started their journey to Moscow Zoo.

(Cover Image: Ru Yi (L) and Ding Ding are in the Bifengxia Panda Base in Ya'an, Sichuan Province, China. /Chinanews Photo)