China FM to meet Myanmar junta chief on Southeast Asia trip-military official

BEIJING — China's top diplomat Wang Yi will hold talks with Myanmar's junta chief, a top Myanmar general said on Tuesday, during a Southeast Asian trip this week that also includes Thailand.

China's foreign ministry said earlier that Wang would travel to Myanmar and Thailand from Wednesday until Saturday and co-chair a regional foreign ministers' forum.

A senior Myanmar military official, who requested anonymity in order to talk to the media, said Wang would hold talks in Myanmar with junta chief Min Aung Hlaing.

However, Wang would not meet democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained by the military since it seized power in 2021, the official said.

China is a major ally and arms supplier to the Myanmar junta, but analysts say it also maintains ties with armed ethnic groups that hold territory near its border.

There have been repeated clashes in Myanmar's northern Shan state since late June after ethnic rebel groups renewed an offensive against the military along a vital trade highway to China.

Beijing's special envoy for Asian affairs met the junta chief in the capital Naypyidaw last week, Myanmar state media said, days after ethnic rebels seized a regional military command.

Min Aung Hlaing discussed "internal peace processes in Myanmar, peace and stability measures in the border region" with China's Deng Xijun, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar.

The senior general "explained the implementation of objectives and a five-point roadmap in order to ensure peace, stability", the state-run newspaper said.

An unidentified spokesman from China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday Wang's visit to Myanmar was "aimed at deepening bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields".

China supports "Myanmar's effort to uphold stability, grow the economy and improve people's livelihood", the spokesman said.

He said Beijing helps Myanmar "to properly address differences through political consultation within the framework of the constitution and other laws".

Myanmar is also a vital piece of China's Belt and Road Initiative, President Xi Jinping's flagship $1 trillion project that includes maritime, rail and road projects in Asia, Africa and Europe.

However, progress in Myanmar has been hampered by the conflict since the military coup.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Wang would also attend an "informal discussion" between counterparts from Laos, Myanmar and Thailand during his trip