Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing is scheduled to travel to China next week for high-level discussions with President Xi Jinping, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Friday.
The state visit, which will take place from June 15 to 19, marks the leader’s second international trip since he was sworn in as civilian president in April, following a previous visit to India, reports AFP.
According to ministry spokesman Lin Jian, Beijing intends to use the visit to “deepen comprehensive strategic cooperation” with Myanmar.
The Southeast Asian nation has faced significant diplomatic isolation since the 2021 military coup that removed the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Since the takeover, the military has been engaged in a sustained conflict with various opposition factions.
China, which shares a porous 2,100-kilometre border with Myanmar, has actively sought to restrain rebel groups to prevent a total political collapse in the neighbouring country. Beijing also provided strong support for the elections held earlier this year, which resulted in a decisive victory for political allies of the military.
Min Aung Hlaing assumed the presidency after serving five years as the chief of the armed forces. While the government characterizes the move as a transition to civilian rule, democracy monitors have dismissed the change as a “rebranding” of military authority.
Under the current administration, Myanmar has pledged to increase trade with China and has revived discussions regarding long-stalled energy and transport infrastructure projects.
