Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged support on Tuesday 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 Min Aung Hlaing’s 2021 coup ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, prompting Western nations to cut ties with the Southeast 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 Min Aung Hlaing as president.
Xi said that China “firmly supports” Myanmar in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, as he met Min Aung Hlaing at Beijing’s opulent Great Hall of the People on Tuesday following a welcome ceremony, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
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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 Min Aung Hlaing.
Both countries, the Chinese leader added, must continue to “crack down hard” on telecom fraud, online gambling and drug trafficking.
