Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing is set to travel to Beijing next week for high-level discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping aimed at deepening strategic cooperation between the two nations.
This visit comes shortly after Min’s trip to India from May 30 to June 3, his first foreign engagement following his election as president. During talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he reportedly assured that Myanmar’s territory would not be used in ways that could threaten India’s security interests. Min, a former military leader, assumed the presidency earlier this year after elections in a country still grappling with an ongoing internal conflict and armed rebellion.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian confirmed on Friday that Min will undertake a state visit to China from June 15 to 19. During the visit, he is expected to meet President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and other senior Chinese officials to discuss bilateral relations and regional cooperation.
Lin described China and Myanmar as long-standing friends and neighbours sharing a “community with a shared future,” noting that diplomatic ties between the two countries have lasted for 76 years. Prior to the visit, Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe was in Beijing for talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, focusing on expanding cooperation and supporting Myanmar’s development amid its prolonged internal instability.
In recent years, China has significantly expanded its influence in Myanmar through infrastructure investments and strategic projects, including energy pipelines that provide Beijing access to the Bay of Bengal.
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