Myanmar president meets Chinese senior military official

Myanmar President U Thein Sein met Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of China, Fan Changlong, in the Myanmar capital of Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday. U Thein Sein said Fan's choice of Myanmar as his first foreign trip after he took up the post shows the friendly ties between the two countries and the two armed forces. Noting that Myanmar-China "paukphaw" (fraternal) friendship is long-standing and deep in the hearts of the people, he said enhancement of the Myanmar-China cooperation not only conforms to the fundamental interest of the two peoples but also contributes to the development and stability in the region. He expressed Myanmar government and armed forces' thanks to the Chinese counterparts for their support and assistance in the past years, vowing that Myanmar will continue to adopt a friendly policy towards China and make tireless efforts to push the continued development of Myanmar-China comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership. Fan said that China and Myanmar are true and good friends, good neighbors and good partners, adding that such friendship deserves treasure as it was built by successive generations. For the past several years, the two countries frequently exchanged high-level visits making major achievement in politics, economy and trade and culture, he said, adding that under the guidance of the two countries' heads of state and the joint efforts of the two armed forces, ties between the two armed forces have maintained a good trend of development. He expressed China's wishes to work hand in hand with Myanmar to further push the relations between the two countries and the two armed forces. Fan also met with Speaker of Myanmar's House of Representatives U Shwe Mann and held talks with Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar Defense Services Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing, exchanging views in depth over the ties between two countries and the two armed forces. Commander of Lanzhou military region Liu Yuejun and Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Yang Houlan were present at the meetings. Fan arrived in Yangon on Monday on a three-day official visit to Myanmar as part of his three-country tour to Kazakhstan, Myanmar and Thailand.