China- Myanmar relations head for new high: ambassador

The upcoming state visit of Myanmar President U Thein Sein to China would certainly push the two countries' strategic and mutually beneficial cooperation towards a new high, Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Li Junhua told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on the eve of the president's visit.

At the invitation his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, President U Thein Sein is to pay the first ever state visit to China from Thursday to Saturday in the capacity of a Myanmar top leader after the new government took office.

Leading over 10 government ministers, U Thein Sein will pay the state visit to Beijing and there will be talks and meetings with Chinese leaders, Ambassador Li said.

Li disclosed that during the visit, a number of bilateral cooperation accords or framework agreements between government departments and enterprises of the two sides will be signed, signaling the playing of further role of potential of the two countries' economic and trade cooperation, through which peoples of the two countries could greatly benefit from the mutually beneficial cooperation.

Li also disclosed that during the visit, the two countries will issue a joint statement that will be a new breakthrough, a new push in the development of the two countries' relations and future cooperation.

Commenting on the coming into being of the Myanmar new government, Li said for over a month after the new government assumed office, politically, the parliamentary sessions ran smooth with power transfer as well. Government at different levels are also operating orderly.

Citing President U Thein Sein's first speech delivered when he was sworn in to office, Li said U Thein Sein's remarks produced a strong signal to the Myanmar people of all walks of life and the international community, saying that the new government would make greater efforts in developing economy, speed up the rate of opening door to the outside world, improve the living standard of the people positively and strengthen the mixing up of nationalities based on the foundation laid by the previous government.

He pointed out that "We have seen a new phenomenon economically, that are inducing more foreign investment, expanding foreign trade and strengthening private enterprises."

Touching on some special characteristics of the Myanmar new government's foreign relations, Li said the new government becomes more initiative, more self-confident and more active diplomatically. He cited the recent attendance at the Jakarta ASEAN Summit of and state visit to Indonesia by Myanmar president U Thein Sein who raised at the regional summit Myanmar's undertaking of alternate chairmanship in 2014.

Posted in: China- Myanmar relations head for new high: ambassador