Panda couple to arrive in Finland on Jan 18

A pair of pandas, Jin Bao Bao and Hua Bao, are set to head to Finland on January 17, 2018 to help commemorate the country's 100th anniversary of independence this year, reports the CCTV.

The pandas are being sent to Finland following an agreement inked between the two countries as part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Finland in April, 2017.

Undated photo of female panda Jin Bao Bao, which is due to be sent to Finland on Wednesday, January 17, 2018, to help mark the 100th anniversary of Finland's independence. [Photo: iPanda]

Jin Bao Bao and Hua Bao are set to travel from Sichuan to the Ahtari Zoo, which is located in the western part of Finland.

Construction of a new facility for the two pandas began several years ago.

"The people at the Ahtari Zoo are already excited about their arrival," said Finnish Parliamentary Speaker Maria Lohela.

Undated photo of male panda Hua Bao, which is due to be sent to Finland on Wednesday, January 17, 2018, to help mark the 100th anniversary of Finland's independence. [Photo: iPanda]

The panda habitat will be the largest exhibit at the zoo, covering some 10,000 square meters.

The pandas have already been given Finnish names: Jin Bao Bao will be known as Lumi, or "snow," while Hua Bao will be known as Pyry, or "snowfall."

Aerial photo, October 13, 2017 of the Ahtari Zoo in western Finland. [Photo: Xinhua]