China and Myanmar vow more trade, security cooperation

Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi at Government House in Bangkok, on April 24, 2026. [AFP] China and Myanmar have pledged to expand trade and security ties, especially along their border, during talks in the Southeast Asian nation with its junta chief-turned-president and both countries' top diplomats, the two governments said. China's Wang Yi has been on a three-country visit to Southeast Asia, travelling to Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar this week, seeking to strengthen ties and present Beijing as a more stable alternative to Washington. China will "firmly support" Myanmar in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security, Wang told Myanmar's leader Min Aung Hlaing during a meeting in the capital Naypyidaw on Saturday, according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout. "As this year marks the first year of the new Myanmar government's tenure, both sides should seize this opportunity to carry forward and promote their traditional friendship," Wang said. Min Aung Hlaing was sworn in as president this month, continuing his rule from a civilian post five years after snatching power in a military coup that sparked the ongoing civil war. The parliamentary ceremony where he was sworn in was attended by more than 20 foreign representatives including from China, which analysts say was the junta-backed election's biggest supporter. Democracy watchdogs have described the tightly controlled election that concluded in January as an effort to rebrand military rule, with voting not taking place in swaths of the country controlled by rebels who are fighting the military and rejected the poll. Over the past year, there have been signs the military is on the front foot -- with a string of moderate victories thanks largely to China-backed truces with ethnic minority rebels along their shared border. Analysts say China's recent interventions to rein in the ethnic fighters -- who have long resisted central rule -- are a sign Beijing is backing the military establishment to provide a semblance of stability in the country. In a meeting with Myanmar's Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe on Saturday, Wang called for joint efforts to "enhance cooperation" in electricity, oil and gas, expand bilateral trade and investments, and "deepen security collaboration" to maintain stability along their border, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement. Myanmar's state-run Global New Light of Myanmar on Sunday also said the meetings emphasised further cooperation in the "stability of border regions, facilitating smooth, swift, and efficient trade flows and the efforts to restore the internal peace process". Since resigning as armed forces chief and becoming president, Min Aung Hlaing has called on groups fighting the military to engage in peace negotiations ahead of a late July deadline. He has led the country since 2021 when he deposed the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, detaining her and sparking the civil war which has killed tens of thousands of people on all sides. The two nations' diplomats also discussed "combating online scamming and illegal activities in border areas", Global New Light of Myanmar said. Myanmar has emerged as a regional base for cyberscam operations in recent years, with the military publicising raids on sprawling fraud compounds. Transnational crime groups initially mostly targeted Chinese speakers before widening their reach and stealing tens of billions of dollars annually from victims around the world. Both the United States and China have pressured Myanmar and other nations in the region to crack down on operators of fake romance and cryptocurrency investment cons, perpetrated over the internet by thousands of scammers -- some willing participants and others trafficked. China was willing to cooperate with Myanmar to "resolutely and thoroughly eradicate the scourge" of online gambling and telecommunications fraud, Wang said.

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