Xi Jinping pledged support for Myanmar in safeguarding its sovereignty, state media reported, as he met with President Min Aung Hlaing in Beijing.
China is Myanmar’s most crucial ally and a rare enduring partner after Hlaing’s 2021 coup ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, prompting Western nations to cut ties with the South-East Asian nation.
Beijing has emerged as a key power-broker in the civil war sparked by the coup, and also vocally backed recent polls that excluded Suu Kyi’s party and returned a walk-over win for pro-military MPs – who elected Hlaing as president.
Xi said that China “firmly supports” Myanmar in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, as he met Hlaing at Beijing’s opulent Great Hall of the People yesterday.
The Myanmar leader’s trip – his second state visit since taking over as civilian president in April – comes as ties with Beijing have frayed in recent years over Internet scam centres along the countries’ shared border areas that have targeted Chinese citizens, analysts say.
Beijing “supports the new government in balancing development and security to find a correct development path that suits its national conditions and enjoys the people’s support”, Xi told Hlaing.
Both countries, the Chinese leader added, must continue to “crack down hard” on telecom fraud, online gambling and drug trafficking.
Xi also hailed the China-Myanmar relationship, saying that the two countries have “stood together through thick and thin”.
“China supports all parties in Myanmar in advancing peace and reconciliation through dialogue,” he said.
Hlaing landed in Beijing on Monday to a red-carpet welcome, according to images shared by his office, and spent the first hours of his five-day trip touring Beijing Aerospace City – the centre of China’s space programme.
He is also set to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang and top legislator Zhao Leji. — AFP
