Myanmar President travels to China after India visit

Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing will visit Beijing next week for talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to strengthen strategic ties between the two countries.

Min visited India from May 30 to June 3, his first visit abroad after being elected president, and held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which he assured that Myanmar’s territory would not be allowed to be used against India’s security interests. A former military ruler, Min, assumed the presidency earlier this year following elections in Myanmar, which is facing an ongoing internal rebellion.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Friday announced that Min will pay a state visit to China from June 15 to 19, during which he will hold talks with Xi, Premier Li Qiang and other officials.

Lin said China and Myanmar are traditional friends, neighbours and a community with a shared future. Bilateral relations have come a long way since diplomatic ties were established 76 years ago, he said. Ahead of Min’s visit, Myanmar Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe visited Beijing and held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Both ministers discussed scaling up their bilateral ties and accelerating development of Myanmar, which for long was caught in civil war between the military junta that ruled the country for decades.

China, in recent years, has deepened its influence in Myanmar, backing the military rulers with major strategic investments, including a route providing it direct access to the Bay of Bengal with oil and gas pipelines.