Panda twins celebrate 3rd birthday in southwest China's Chongqing

Giant panda twins Yu Ke and Yu Ai celebrated their third birthday at Chongqing Zoo in southwest China with feasts prepared by zookeepers.

At the older brother Yu Ke's birthday banquet, keepers prepared a "birthday cake" with fresh bamboo shoots and fruits, and carved a pumpkin into the shape of a crown. Surrounded by ice to stay cool, Yu Ke thoroughly enjoyed his refreshing birthday meal.

Meanwhile, his sister Yu Ai, who is currently undergoing treatment for an eye condition and resting in a non-exhibition area, also had a joyful birthday celebration.

The zoo's staff prepared a special fruit "cake" and tempting fruit skewers just for her. The panda cub happily savored the treats made with love and care.

Yu Ke and Yu Ai were born on July 22, 2022, at Chongqing Zoo. Their names were chosen through an online naming campaign. Now the twin pandas are growing up healthy and strong, and continue to charm visitors with growing popularity.

China's outstanding aggregate social financing -- the total amount of financing to the real economy -- reached 442.12 trillion yuan (about 63.4 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of 2025, up 8.3 percent year on year, central bank data showed on Thursday.

The country's aggregate social financing stood at 35.6 trillion yuan (about 5.1 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2025, up by 3.34 trillion yuan (about 479 billion U.S. dollars) from the year 2024, said the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank.

According to the data, the M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, increased 8.5 percent year on year to 340.29 trillion yuan (about 48.8 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of December.

In addition, outstanding yuan loans stood at 271.91 trillion yuan (about 39 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2025, up 6.4 percent year on year.