Malaysia’s second giant panda cub was finally named "Yi Yi", some 19 months after it was born.

Panda's name to symbolise friendly Malaysia-China relations

“Yi Yi” loosely translates to friendship in Chinese.

It was selected to “recognise the friendship between the two nations (Malaysia and China)”, according to Malaysian Minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources Dr. A. Xavier Jayakumar.

The minister attended the naming ceremony of the baby panda at the Giant Panda Conservation Centre in Zoo Negara.

Born in January 2018

Yi Yi was born in January 2018 to giant panda couple Liang Liang and Xing Xing, both of which were brought to Malaysia under China’s 10-year loan programme.

The pair had previously conceived another panda cub named Nuan Nuan in August 2015.

Nuan Nuan was conceived months after its parents arrived in Malaysia.

Kai Kai and Jia Jia, Singapore's pandas from China, not conceiving

Meanwhile, Singapore’s pair of pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia are in the midst of their breeding season until November 2019, according to the River Safari's schedule.

Not unlike their human counterparts here, Kai Kai and Jia Jia have had little luck in producing offspring since their arrival in 2012.

Despite great efforts to breed the local giant panda residents, including several attempts at artificial insemination in the last few years, conceiving still proves to be a challenge for Singapore's panda couple.

Breeding giant pandas is known to be extremely difficult as female pandas only ovulate once a year, the peak of its ovulation lasting for 24 to 36 hours.

Having been here for seven years, Kai Kai and Jia Jia will be set to return home by 2022 in accordance to China's 10-year panda loan programme.