Xi’s Myanmar visit promotes building of community with shared future

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Myanmar President U Win Myint push the button to officially launch the China-Myanmar Year of Culture and Tourism in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, Jan. 17, 2020. Xi attended a state event here Friday to launch celebrations for the 70th anniversary of China-Myanmar diplomatic ties and for the China-Myanmar Year of Culture and Tourism. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Myanmar on Jan. 17-18, 2020.

The state visit by President Xi coincided with the 70th anniversary of China-Myanmar diplomatic ties. Xi’s Myanmar trip is expected to draw a blueprint for bilateral ties, enrich them, further promote the building of a community with a shared future, and open up a new era for bilateral ties.

China and Myanmar have made fruitful cooperation in infrastructure construction, energy exploitation and industrial parks building since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed in 2013. China-Myanmar Economic Corridor also has come into being, which is not only the second project of this kind between China and one single country in Southeast Asia after the first China-Laos Economic Corridor, but also a part of the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor (CICPEC).

CICPEC, the land bridge among six economic corridors proposed under the Belt and Road Initiative, links China with the Indochina Peninsula and crosses the heart of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia. It is expected to boost China’s cooperation with ASEAN countries in such areas as connectivity and transportation.

The stable construction of China-Myanmar Economic Corridor shall complement China-Laos Economic Corridor, advancing mutual exchanges between China and ASEAN countries. With the prosperous Lancang-Mekong Cooperation and former convergence of development strategies of China and three ASEAN countries including Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, progress of CICPEC construction is deepening.

The China-Myanmar community with a shared future is the third one proposed in Southeast Asia. The former two are China-Cambodia community with a shared future and China-Laos community with a shared future. The building of all three is expected to advance bilateral and multilateral cooperation between China and countries on the Indochina Peninsula in politics, security, economy, culture and other fields, to improve their political mutual trust, and to bring new opportunities for all countries in this area, setting an significant example of building a community with a shared future for China and other neighboring countries and for mankind.

The building of China-ASEAN community with a shared future has made great achievements over the last few years. China has remained the ASEAN’s largest trading partner for 10 consecutive years, and the latter became China’s second largest trading partner last year.

In the meantime, China also attaches great importance to promoting China-Japan-ROK cooperation and regional integration. The trilateral cooperation among China, Japan and South Korea will undoubtedly play an important leading role in promoting the integration of East Asia and even of the Asia-Pacific region, and promote the building of China-ASEAN community with a shared future as well as the stable development of the world.

Facing rising unilateralism and protectionism, China’s efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind is an important stabilizing factor for global peace and win-win cooperation. Xi’s two-day trip shall highlight the building of the China-Myanmar community.