HANOI — China and Myanmar vowed to inherit and carry forward the “paukphaw” friendship between the two countries in the new era on March 31.

The pledge was made at a meeting between State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Mynamar’s Vice President U Henry Van Thio.

The state councilor said China and Myanmar have enjoyed traditional “paukphaw” friendship and the leaders of the two countries have maintained close contacts.

China is willing to join hands with Myanmar to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, further boost the mutually beneficial cooperation and push forward the construction of major projects within the framework of China’s Belt and Road Initiative including the China-Myanmar economic corridor, Wang said.

China strongly supports Myanmar’s efforts in maintaining stability, revitalizing economy and improving livelihood of the people, and will continue to provide Myanmar with assistance to the best of its abilities, Wang said.

China hopes that Myanmar will properly handle the issues in the northern part of the country and maintain peace and stability in the border areas between the two countries, the state councilor added.

For his part, Vice-President U Henry Van Thio said Myanmar is willing to inherit and develop the “paukphaw” friendship and friendly cooperation between the two countries, and continue to take an active part in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The vice-president also expressed gratitude for China’s support for the peace and national reconciliation process in Myanmar, while pledging continued efforts and cooperation with China to maintain peace in border areas between the two countries.

The vice-president briefed Wang on the latest development in the Rakhine state issue. Wang said China has always held the view that the issue should be only addressed through friendly consultations between Myanmar and Bangladesh, and the international community should play a constructive role in promoting the resolution of the issue.