Chinese president, Belgian king exchange congratulations on birth of panda twins

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping and Belgian King Philippe have exchanged congratulatory messages on the August birth of a pair of giant panda cubs in Belgium.

Xi said in his message that the birth of the two cubs deserves joint celebrations, adding that he is confident that they will become a new beautiful tale of China-Belgium friendship.

He said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Belgium relations, and stands ready to work with the king to elevate the bilateral all-round partnership of friendship and cooperation to higher levels.

For his part, King Philippe said the birth of the giant panda twins is great news, adding that he highly appreciates the smooth cooperation in various fields between the two countries.

In August, giant panda Hao Hao, loaned by the Chinese government to Belgium in 2014, gave birth to a 160-gram male cub and a 150-gram female cub in a zoo in west Belgium's Hainaut province.

They were the second and third cubs born in the Pairi Daiza zoo, following the June 2016 birth of Tian Bao, the first giant panda ever born in the European country.