On Dec 7, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held friendly talks in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, with the Minister of the Office of the State Counselor U Kyaw Tint Swe, national security adviser and Union Minister of Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations U Thaung Tun, Minister of Construction U Han Zaw, and Union Minister for International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin.

Both sides agreed that China-Myanmar ties are seeing new opportunities for development. The two countries should use next year’s 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to jointly promote the traditional “Paukphaw” (fraternal) friendship between the two peoples and to raise the China-Myanmar comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level.

Wang and Myanmar’s ministers all affirmed the achievements made in jointly building the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor and agreed to make it a benchmark in the China-Myanmar joint construction of the Belt and Road. Through the driving force of the corridor’s substantial construction, the two countries will boost border economic cooperation zones and cooperation in key areas, such as electricity and transportation.

“China’s Yunnan province is Myanmar’s close neighbor, with adjoining mountains and rivers, and has been taking great efforts to promote friendly exchanges with Myanmar,” said Wang. “The location advantages should be carried forward to seek in-depth local cooperation and to expand economic, trade and personnel exchanges.”

Wang also said that China has been paying great attention to the situation in Rakhine State, and is willing to help Myanmar in repatriation and resettlement of refugees and to promote the local economic development and people's livelihood.

U Kyaw Tint Swe and the other ministers expressed their gratitude to China for the support of Myanmar’s economic and social development over the years, hoping China can continue to play an important and positive role in the Rakhine State issue. He said that Myanmar is willing to promote its pragmatic cooperation with China in various fields and deepen exchanges and cooperation with bordering Chinese provinces such as Yunnan, under the framework of co-construction of the Belt and Road and the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor.

Wang also attended the signing ceremony of cooperation projects between some departments of the two countries on Dec 7.