China, Myanmar leaders agree to deepen cooperation

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, head of the military council

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Myanmar’s commander-in-chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, agreed Wednesday to deepen bilateral cooperation during the junta leader’s first visit to China since the 2021 overthrow of his country’s civilian government, Chinese state-run media said.

Li told the junta leader in Kunming, the capital of the south-western province of Yunnan, that strengthening relations with Myanmar is vital to China’s diplomacy with its neighbouring countries.

He vowed support for Myanmar’s development path that “suits its national conditions,” China Central Television said.

Min Aung Hlaing said Myanmar views the 75th anniversary of the establishment of relations between the two countries next year as an opportunity to deepen cooperation in various fields, according to CCTV.

His China visit appears aimed at seeking international legitimacy for the junta, which faces resistance from opposition forces, including pro-democracy citizens who have taken up arms and ethnic minority militias.

The junta leader is among the participants of the two-day summit of China and five Mekong River basin countries — Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam — through Thursday