|
Aparna A Nair
21 June 2026 |
What happened?
During15-19 June, Myanmar’s President Min Aung Hlaing visited China. In this state visit, he met with China’s President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and the National People’s Congress standing committee chairman Zhao Leji. Both Presidents signed 18 agreements and MoUs in areas such as security, development, trade, health, science and infrastructure cooperation. Apart from the cooperation document, both agreed to jointly advance China’s Global Security Initiative (GSI), Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI), and Global Development Initiative (GDI).
The Myanmar delegation included officials from Kachin and Shan states. The discussions covered cross-border transportation and regional connectivity within the Greater Mekong Subregion. China also pledged assistance for earthquake response efforts and reconstruction projects in Myanmar.
President Xi said, “I am willing to continue strengthening our leadership (over our countries' bilateral ties), carry forward the brotherly friendship between our two peoples, deepen comprehensive strategic cooperation.”
What is the background?
1. A brief note on China-Myanmar bilateral ties
China and Myanmar relations are rooted in traditional "Paukphaw" (brotherly) friendship and rest on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. In 2020, the relationship got upgraded to ‘Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership,’ the highest bilateral partnership tier of China. In 2024, both sides agreed to build a community with a shared future. Historically, China has backed Myanmar rulers regardless of regime type. Myanmar occupies a critical position in China’s regional ambitions as it is a gateway to the Indian Ocean region. The China-Myanmar Economic Corridor encompasses China’s BRI initiatives in Myanmar. It includes oil and gas pipelines and infrastructure. China seeks a stable Myanmar because the coup, border instability and rise of telefraud and scam centres had affected Chinese citizens and joint projects.
For Myanmar, China remains the largest trading partner and the largest source of imports and investments. In 2025, bilateral trade stood at USD 19.4 billion, a 19.1per cent year-on-year increase. The cooperation from China will help stabilise the regime, cope with economic challenges and earn diplomatic legitimacy.
2. Myanmar President seeking legitimacy after the election
Min Aung Hlaing, military junta chief, became President in April 2026 after an election held between December 2025 and January 2026. The election process was widely criticised because of the exclusion of major opposition groups. It also led the military-backed candidates to secure victory. In this context, he has been seeking international recognition and diplomatic legitimacy. The UN,EU,US,UK and ASEAN states like Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore are yet to recognise his government.
What does it mean?
First, the visit marked a diplomatic success for President Min Aung Hlaing. He was welcomed to China with full state honours, and President Xi’s assurance of close engagement provided Myanmar with external recognition and strengthened claims to political legitimacy. This legitimacy will help break the international isolation Myanmar faces and enable economic aid and investment to flow to the country.
Second, Myanmar emerges as China's most comprehensive BRI partner in Southeast Asia. The signed documents and other agreements broaden bilateral cooperation in infrastructure, trade, security and innovation. This makes Myanmar China’s most comprehensive BRI partner in Southeast Asia. The agreements linked to the GSI, GDI and GCI also indicate China's effort to expand the acceptance of its global governance initiatives among developing countries. The visit also reflected the convergence of political, economic and security interests.
