Xi’s visit will help foster China-Myanmar community with a shared future

Every morning, trucks carrying tons of crabs and other aquatic products rumble from Myanmar through the Wanding border crossing to a Chinese fish market nearby before being distributed to seafood lovers across southern China.

The Wanding fish market, now complete with a trading building, inspection facilities, walk-in freezers and sewage treatment systems, is a far cry from the crowded, dirty and smelly space it used to be, and bears ample witness to the thriving trade between the two neighboring countries.

Further expansion has been planned, and traders there now have more reason to be optimistic about the future.

President Xi Jinping’s upcoming state visit to the Southeast Asian nation is highly expected to start a new era of the long-lasting China-Myanmar “Paukphaw” – or fraternal – friendship.

The visit, which comes on Friday and Saturday at the invitation of Myanmar President U Win Myint, is not only Xi’s first overseas trip this year, but also the first to the Asian neighbor by a Chinese president after an interval of 19 years. The fact that this year marks the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties also endows the tour with unique significance.

During Xi’s visit, the two sides will work toward further enriching their relationship, strive toward building a China-Myanmar community with a shared future, and embark on a new era of bilateral ties, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Xi is scheduled to attend a series of state events held by his Myanmar counterpart, hold talks with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, and attend a bilateral cooperation document exchange ceremony and a banquet held by Suu Kyi. Xi will also meet with Myanmar Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Min Aung Hlaing, and exchange views with the leaders of Myanmar’s parliament and political parties. The two sides will issue a joint statement.

Over the past seven decades, the two countries have expanded bilateral ties on the basis of mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual assistance, and have set a model of harmonious coexistence and win-win cooperation between countries of different sizes.

In recent years, China and Myanmar maintain good momentum for high-level contact. Xi has met on several occasions with Myanmar’s leaders, with important consensus reached on further advancing bilateral relations in the new era. Xi’s visit means valuable help and support to Myanmar and its people, which is of extraordinary significance to both countries, said Myanmar Minister of Religious Affairs and Culture Thura U Aung Ko, adding the visit will mark an important chapter in the history of Myanmar-China friendship.