China - Myanmar Relations No.024

7/28/2019 China - Myanmar Relations No.024

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Myanmar's President U Thein

Sein during a welcoming ceremony held by President Xi Jinping for President U Thein

Sein in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, April 5, 2013. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)


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China, Myanmar pledge to boost "all-round" cooperationEnglish.news.cn 2013-04-05 22:41:31 http://news.xinhuanet.com

SANYA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Myanmar counterpart

U Thein Sein held talks on Friday in China's southern city of Sanya and pledged to

boost the "all-round" cooperation between the two countries.

"The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views and reached broad consensus onrelations between the two countries as well as regional and international issues of

common interest," said a joint press communique after their talks.

China and Myanmar should enhance strategic mutual trust, and conduct win-win

cooperation for common development, which will lay a solid foundation for

advancing the fundamental interests of the two peoples and for achieving lasting

stability and prosperity of the region, said the communique.

During the talks, U Thein Sein invited Xi to visit Myanmar and the Chinese president

expressed his willingness to visit to Myanmar "at a mutually convenient time."

"The two sides will maintain the tradition of high-level visits," said the communique,

adding that the frequent contacts between the leaders of the two countries will help

to enhance strategic communication and take China-Myanmar relations forward in

the right direction.


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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R front) accompanies

Myanmar's President U Thein Sein (L front) to inspect the

guard of honor during a welcoming ceremony held by

President Xi Jinping for President U Thein Sein in Sanya,south China's Hainan Province, April 5, 2013. (Xinhua/Pang

Xinglei)

The two countries will enhance their friendly exchanges and cooperation in all areas,

including parliaments, governments, political parties, militaries and law-enforcement

departments and on governance matters, said the document.


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Chinese President Xi Jinping (1st L) and Myanmar's President U Thein Sein (2nd L)walk to a welcoming ceremony to be held by President Xi Jinping for President UThein Sein in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, April 5, 2013. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)"This will further enrich the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and

Myanmar," it said. The two countries established the comprehensive strategic

partnership in 2011.

In the communique, China reiterated its respect for the independence, sovereignty

and territorial integrity of Myanmar and its support for the government of Myanmar

in its efforts to maintain national unity and ethnic harmony.

"The two sides will continue to strengthen border management cooperation, and

safeguard peace and stability in border areas," said the document.

China supports Myanmar in independently pursuing its domestic reform and

choosing the development path in line with its national conditions under the premiseof maintaining stability, said the communique.


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During the talks, Myanmar reiterated its firm commitment to the one China policy

and pledged to continue to support the peaceful development of cross-strait

relations.

"The two sides will promote sustainable development of economic and trade

cooperation between the two countries on the basis of mutual benefit and win-win

results, properly address problems that may occur, and move forward the

implementation of major cooperation projects, to benefit the two peoples and

common development of the two countries," said the document.

During the talks, the two sides also vowed to strengthen coordination and

cooperation within multilateral frameworks, including 10+1, 10+3, the East Asia

Summit (EAS), Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) and the United Nations, to

safeguard common interests of developing countries, and promote peace, stability

and development of the region.

According to the communique, China will also support Myanmar in hosting the 27th

Southeast Asian Games.

At the invitation of Xi, U Thein Sein is paying a state visit to China from Friday to

Sunday. The Myanmar president will also attend the annual conference of the Boao

Forum for Asia on Sunday.


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Saturday, April 6, 2013 IRRAWADDY

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Myanmar 'welcomes Chinese enterprisesand projects'Updated: 2013-04-07 07:40

By Li Xiaokun and Qin Zhongwei in Sanya, Hainan ( China Daily)

Myanmar President U Thein Sein said on Saturday his country is eager for Chinese

investment, especially when it can create jobs.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, the president dismissed reports that

Chinese enterprises are less welcome in the quickly developing nation.

"Chinese investment in Myanmar has not only benefited Chinese investors but also

helped Myanmar people," he said.

U Thein Sein, who took office in March 2011 after winning his country's first

elections in 20 years, is making a state visit to China from Friday to Sunday. He will

attend the annual Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan province on Sunday.As reform in Myanmar continues, several Chinese projects in the Southeast Asian

nation have faced challenges.

"We very much welcome big Chinese enterprises and projects, which can create

jobs, ... to come and invest in Myanmar," he said.

President Xi Jinping met with U Thein Sein on Friday upon Xi's arrival in Hainan. Themeeting was the first between the two since Xi was elected as president in March.

During the talks, both confirmed they would enhance their economic ties,

particularly in cooperation on major projects.

A joint statement issued after the talks said China supports Myanmar in

"independently pursuing its domestic reform and choosing the development path in

line with its conditions with the intention of maintaining stability".

According to U Thein Sein, despite the rapid inflow of Western capital, China remains

Myanmar's largest foreign investor.


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The Myanmar president has significantly improved his country's ties with the United

States and European countries since taking office. The West has largely alleviated

two-decade-long sanctions it imposed on Myanmar because of its previous military

rule.

Last year, Myanmar enacted a Foreign Investment Law, and it is developing special

economic zone legislation.

"Myanmar has improved its laws and regulations mainly to legally protect the

interests of investors," the president told China Daily.

The Wall Street Journal said in late March that the Southeast Asian nation boasts a

huge untapped market covering multiple industries from telecommunications and

banking to fast food and consumer goods.

China now accounts for 33.8 percent of all foreign investment in Myanmar, U Thein

Sein said.

Chinese investment has flowed into 12 fields in the local economy, he said, and

makes up 45 percent of Myanmar's overall investment in the power generating, 33

percent of the energy and 60 percent of the mining industries.

Chinese companies have also participated in building up the country's transportation,

he said.

Among Myanmar's top priorities now are increasing grain production, alleviating rural

poverty and creating more jobs, all of which urgently call for "a large amount of

foreign investment", he said.

The financing difficulties are partially due to the previous Western sanctions, he said.

On relations with Beijing, U Thein Sein said the countries share a border of morethan 2,000 km and since ancient times have embraced in paukphaw (fraternal)

friendship.

"Myanmar received support and assistance from China when it faced sanctions from

Western countries in the past two decades. China also supported Myanmar in


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regional and international affairs. The Myanmar government and people are

grateful."

In 2011, Beijing and Nay Pyi Taw agreed to enter into a partnership of

comprehensive and strategic cooperation. U Thein Sein said he discussed plans

implementing that partnership with Xi on Friday.

Non-govermental exchanges between the two nations have prospered, from border

trade fairs to education, healthcare and culture, he said.

He added that the two governments will establish a friendship association to boost

people-to-people exchanges.

"There are many people of Chinese descent living in Myanmar. There are no

differences between us, we are one family."

U Thein Sein, Myanmar president


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President Xi Jinping holds summit withMyanmar President Thein SeinSummit signals desire to revive strategic partnership after a period of 'cooling off'

Sunday, 07 April, 2013

A summit between President Xi Jinping and his Myanmese counterpart, Thein Sein,

signalled both nations' desire to revive their strategic partnership, which had cooled

since the civilian government came to power, according to a Chinese expert on the

Southeast Asian nation.

Xi met five visiting presidents - Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, Enrique Pena

Nieto of Mexico, Ollanta Humala of Peru, Sauli Niinisto of Finland and Michael

Chilufya Sata of Zambia - after meetings yesterday with Thein Sein and Sultan

Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei ahead of the Boao Forum in Hainan.

Leaders of a dozen nations are set to attend the main session of the forum today

and Xi is due to deliver the opening speech.

Xi and Thein Sein agreed to "enrich the comprehensive strategic partnership

between China and Myanmar," according to a joint communiqu issued by Xinhua.

Both leaders pledged to boost "all-round" co-operation.

Fan Hongwei , an expert on Myanmar affairs at Xiamen University's Centre for

Southeast Asian Studies, said the summit signalled a willingness to mend ties after

two years of uncertainty.

Fan said Myanmar's previous military dictatorship had for decades looked to China

for support.

But since coming to power in 2011, Thein Sein's government had rolled out

economic and political reforms and forged new relations with major powers such as

the US, Japan and India. They in turn had scrapped sanctions that been in place for

years.


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Some analysts warned that China's economic and strategic footing in Myanmar was

slipping, citing Thein Sein's decision in 2011 to bow to public opinion and halt work

on the China-backed Myitsone dam in Kachin state, which was seen by many as a

sign of the limits of Beijing's influence.

"It is a very positive development, as the joint communiqu sent a clear message

that top leaders are willing to build an all-round strategic partnership, though I

cannot say that whether their ties can reach the levels under military rule," Fan said.

This article first appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition on Apr 07, 2013 as

Xi pledges to improve ties with Myanmar

Documents

China - Myanmar Relations No.024