China-Myanmar Relations Embrace New Opportunities

It gives me great pleasure to host the National Day Reception in MICC2 for the third time. I’m very grateful to all of our distinguished guests here for sharing your time with us during this annual event. My special thanks go to Vice President U Myint Swe. Your Excellency’s presence is a great honor and demonstrates the great support from the Myanmar Government to the sound relationship and everlasting friendship between China and Myanmar.

Sixty-eight years ago， the People’s Republic of China was founded after hard struggles of the Chinese people， and China came under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Sixty-eight years later， also under the leadership of the CPC， great changes have taken place in China. The Chinese people are fulfilling the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation and making greater contributions to the development of human society.

The Past Five Years

Right now， China is preparing for the 19th CPC National Congress， scheduled to be held on Oct. 18， the most important date on the political agenda this year. This event is very significant for the future of China as China is now in the decisive stage of building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Over the past five years since the 18th CPC National Congress， China has made remarkable progress in all fields. The CPC led by General Secretary Xi Jinping as its core leader， following global development trends and the people’s aspirations， has introduced a series of practical and effective policies， bringing extraordinary achievements to China and the Chinese people.

Over the past five years， we have been actively pushing forward political reform in China. The fight against corruption has gained crushing momentum. A series of new rules and regulations have been applied within the ruling party， and thousands of CPC officials have been punished for corrupt practices. Now， the CPC is more disciplined and much cleaner， and its leadership is further strengthened， winning it greater support from the people.

Over the past five years， we have been actively pushing forward economic reform in China. Our economy is very dynamic and has maintained an average annual growth rate of 7.2 percent， which is the fastest among major economies. As the second largest economy in the world， China’s contribution to global growth is around 31.6 percent， which has surpassed the combined contribution of major developed countries. Now， China has become the main engine for world economic growth. With the development of the economy， the welfare of the Chinese people has been greatly improved， per capita income remarkably increased and the people’s happiness index has risen.

Over the past five years， we have actively pushed forward the rule of law in China. A number of new laws have been put into place， and the national legal system has been further strengthened. Law enforcement is getting more effective， and people’s civil rights are becoming more consolidated. Rule of law has become the common belief of over 1.3 billion Chinese citizens and has laid a solid ground for good governance in China.

Over the past five years， we have been actively pushing forward the building of ecological civilization in China. Green development is not a concept for us， but an urgent action required for both the present and future generations. We have put into force a new Environmental Protection Law and signed the Paris Accord. A series of anti-pollution and low-carbon development programs have been carried out. Now in China， from urban areas to rural areas， the sky is getting bluer， land is greener and water is cleaner. We believe that clean rivers and green mountains are gold and silver mines in a very real sense.

Over the past five years， we have been actively pushing forward the modernization of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The most significant reform on the defense organization system has almost been completed in China， which is unprecedented since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Now， the PLA is getting stronger and better prepared to address any national security challenges. Meanwhile， as the biggest contributor to the UN Peacekeeping Operations， the PLA is more ready than ever to fulfill its duty in maintaining world peace and stability.

Over the past five years， we have been actively carrying forward major-country diplomacy. China advocates the construction of a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation as the core principle and the creation of a harmonious community of shared future for mankind. We have played our due role as a responsible major country in resolving important issues and global challenges， pushing forward the fairness of global governance and making positive contributions to the peace and development of the world.

In 2013， Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative. Since then， the Initiative has achieved remarkable early successes with the support and joint efforts of over 100 countries and international organizations. From 2014 to 2016， total trade volume between China and other Belt and Road countries exceeded $3 trillion and China has invested $50 billion in these countries.

This May， the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was successfully held in Beijing. More than 1，600 representatives from over 140 countries and 80 international organizations participated in the forum， including Myanmar， which demonstrated worldwide support for the Initiative， helping bring us to a better future.

China-Myanmar Relations’ Development

China-Myanmar relations have achieved further development in every important aspect in the past year.

We are pleased to see that China and Myanmar have maintained close high-level contacts， navigating bilateral relations to a higher level. In the past year， President U Htin Kyaw paid a successful state visit to China. State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi attended the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.

Vice President U Myint Swe attended the Annual Conference of the Boao Forum for Asia. Pyithu Hluttaw Speaker U Win Myint visited China this month. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing paid his seventh visit to China. Leaders of our two countries have reached broad consensus on further enhancing our Paukphaw friendship and deepening the strategic relationship between China and Myanmar.

We are pleased to see that China-Myanmar cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative has achieved positive progress. This May， our two governments signed an MOU on jointly pushing forward the Belt and Road Initiative. As Myanmar’s biggest trading partner and foreign investor， China welcomes Myanmar to work with us to build the Belt and Road in order to share the benefits of China’s development.

China is ready to cooperate with Myanmar on constructing the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor from Kunming to Yangon and from Ruili to Kyaukpyu. To be specific， we should continuously make efforts to ensure the smooth operation of the China-Myanmar Oil Gas Pipeline， launch the Kyaukpyu SEZ project at an early date， establish the China-Myanmar Border Economic Cooperation Zone， enhance the connectivity of roads and railways and electricity infrastructure， undertake comprehensive management of the Irrawaddy River and construct Yangon New City. All these cooperation projects will surely inject new impetus to the development and prosperity of Myanmar.

We are pleased to see that China-Myanmar cooperation on improving Myanmar people’s livelihoods has flourished， especially in the fields of education， public health， disaster relief and other areas.

The Chinese side has launched a series of livelihood promotion projects such as China-Myanmar Friendship Schools， China-Myanmar Friendship Scholarships， China-Myanmar Friendship Hospital， China-Myanmar Friendship Forest， Bagan Pagoda Repair and Renovation， Tha Pyay Kone Marketplace Renovation， Brightness Action and other projects.

Not long ago， China provided humanitarian assistance to people of Myanmar when the country suffered from flood disasters and the H1N1 epidemic. The Chinese government also encourages Chinese companies in Myanmar to fulfill their corporate social responsibility， creating more jobs for Myanmar people and improving their livelihoods.

We are pleased to see that China and Myanmar have deepened cooperation on promoting national reconciliation and the peace process in Myanmar， which is of great importance for our two countries in efforts to realize the Belt and Road Initiative in Myanmar. With the joint efforts of both sides， seven armed ethnic groups from northern Myanmar attended the second 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference.

We hope such positive momentum will continue and relevant armed ethnic groups will sign the NCA at an early date. We will continue to support Myanmar in its endeavor to promote the inclusive peace process in the spirit of Panglong， and will play a more constructive role in this regard.

The Chinese side condemns the violent attacks that have taken place in Rakhine State recently， and supports Myanmar’s efforts to safeguard peace and stability in Rakhine State. We will continue to support Myanmar in international arena， expecting the international community to create a favorable environment for the Myanmar government to properly address relevant challenges.

We will continuously provide humanitarian assistance to Rakhine State for all ethnic groups. We support Myanmar and Bangladesh in efforts to properly handle relevant border issues through consultation and cooperation. We also sincerely hope that the people of Rakhine State will enjoy stability， ethnic harmony and economic prosperity in the near future.

As a Myanmar saying goes， “Time and tide wait for no man.” China-Myanmar relations are embracing new opportunities for development.

Let’s join our hands together to push forward the China-Myanmar strategic cooperative partnership to new heights for the brotherhood and benefits of our two peoples.