Myanmar visit highlights friendship, BRI synergy

President Xi Jinping's just-concluded state visit to Myanmar has cemented the ties between the two neighboring countries, and officials and experts have hailed the visit as "historic" and "a landmark" in their ties.

It was Xi's first trip of the year and the first in 19 years in which a Chinese head of state has visited Myanmar. The significance of the trip is not confined to bilateral relations but serves as an example of how Xi's broader vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind can be put into effect, they said.

The two countries agreed to jointly build a China-Myanmar community with a shared future and highlighted their strengthened partnership in a wide range of fields, including politics, economics, culture and people-to-people exchanges, as well as in regional and international affairs, according to a joint statement released on Saturday, when Xi wrapped up his two-day visit.

Xi's choice to visit Myanmar on his first overseas trip of the year demonstrates the profound pauk-phaw friendship between the two countries and serves as an example of China setting in motion the building of a community with a shared future for mankind in a neighboring country, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters at the close of the visit.

Wang said China's head-of-state diplomacy at the beginning of the New Year has ushered in a new era for China-Myanmar relations in which the Belt and Road Initiative has made major progress.

During the meeting with his Myanmar counterpart, President U Win Myint, Xi made it clear that China firmly supports Myanmar in pursuing a development path that suits its national conditions. Concerted efforts by both countries to build a community with a shared future will inject fresh vitality into bilateral ties, and China stands ready to take advantage of synergies in the BRI and Myanmar's development strategy, he said.

Xi stressed that China's effort to advance the building of a community with a shared future starts with neighboring countries. China will never impose itself on others in international cooperation, he said, and never interfere in the affairs of other countries. It opposes the "you lose, I win" and "one takes all" approaches.

In talks with Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Xi called for concrete efforts from both sides to build the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor under the framework of the BRI, with a focus on flagship connectivity projects — in particular the Kyaukphyu special economic zone, the cross-border economic cooperation zone and the new urban development of Yangon city.

He also underlined the need for the two countries to make coordinated efforts to press ahead with highways, railways and power grids to enable the corridor's main connectivity network to take shape at an early date.

Xi reached an important consensus with leaders in Myanmar on promoting high-quality construction of the Belt and Road, Wang said, adding that this marks the transition of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor from conceptual planning to substantive construction.

Experts said Xi's Myanmar tour sent out a clear message that the country attaches importance to the relationship with its Asian neighbor. Myanmar, as a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, plays an important role in regional affairs, and it also has special status in advancing BRI cooperation.

Zhai Kun, a professor of international relations at Peking University, said one of the outcomes of Xi's eye-catching trip to Myanmar is that the two countries agreed to build a China-Myanmar community with a shared future, which will enhance the building of a broader Asian community with a shared future.

Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said both China and Myanmar want to enhance the traditional pauk-phaw friendship — a reference to close family bonds — which contributes to the consensus of the two peoples on the joint building of the Belt and Road.

Strong synergy

Myanmar's ongoing efforts to upgrade infrastructure, such as roads, ports and electrical power, and to develop its manufacturing and industrial sectors have strong synergy with the BRI, Ruan said, adding that the two countries will have a long-term cooperation on the initiative as it is conducive to promoting Myanmar's socioeconomic growth and raising its status in ASEAN.

High-quality Belt and Road cooperation between China and Myanmar has set a good example for other ASEAN countries, Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the Department for International and Strategic Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, was quoted by People's Daily as saying.

During his meeting with Myanmar leaders, Xi reiterated China's commitment to helping it move forward along the development path it has chosen and in safeguarding its legitimate rights, interests and national dignity on the international stage. He said China stands ready to play a positive role in promoting Myanmar's peace process and national reconciliation on the basis of respect for its sovereignty and willingness.

Leaders of the two countries also pledged to continue to uphold the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, jointly uphold the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, and uphold international fairness and justice.