China, Myanmar vow to strengthen ties, cooperation

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Union Minister for International Cooperation of Myanmar U Kyaw Tin Sunday, with both sides agreeing to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation at all sectors.

Both Wang and U Kyaw Tin are here to attend the fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers' meeting to be held on Monday.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) shakes hands with Union Minister for International Cooperation of Myanmar U Kyaw Tin in Luang Prabang, Laos on December 16, 2018. [Photo: fmprc.gov.cn]

China is ready to be Myanmar's reliable partner of cooperation, promote high-level exchanges, strengthen cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative and enrich the content of China-Myanmar comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation, said Wang.

Both sides should actively implement the recently-signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly build the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, improve related plans and push forward major projects, Wang noted.

China will also support Myanmar to properly solve the northern Myanmar issue following the "Panglong spirit," said Wang.

On the Rakhine issue, China hopes that Myanmar and Bangladesh will maintain communication and cooperation and realize repatriation of the first batch of displaced persons from Bangladesh at an early date. To this end, China will provide necessary assistance and related organizations of the United Nations should also play a constructive role, he added.

For his part, U Kyaw Tin said his country is satisfied with the development of the Myanmar-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and the relations of the two countries have entered the best period in history.

State Counselor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International cooperation, the union minister said, adding that Myanmar has formed a steering committee to push forward cooperation programs within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The LMC mechanism has brought benefits to peoples in the region and Myanmar is looking forward to deepening communication and coordination with China under the mechanism, he said.