China has called on neighbouring countries to assist Myanmar in advancing its peace and reconciliation process amid the ongoing crisis in the region.
During a visit to Thailand on August 16, as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met counterparts from Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, he emphasised the importance of regional cooperation to help Myanmar create favourable economic and social conditions that can prevent further conflict.
China will support a democratic transition in Myanmar and back a regional plan to find a way out of the ongoing crisis, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday. His comments at a media conference came after he met Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing during a visit to the war-torn country this week. “China continues its commitment to restore peace and stability in Myanmar,” he said in translated remarks.
Wang described the situation in Myanmar as “worrying” and suggested that neighbouring countries, which have a better understanding of Myanmar’s situation due to their proximity, should play a key role in supporting this transition.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since February 2021 when the military ousted an elected civilian government in a coup, abruptly ending the impoverished country’s tentative steps towards becoming a full-fledged democracy.
“No one wants Myanmar to restore stability and development more than its neighbours,” Wang said.
China has promised technical support and aid for conducting a census, followed by an election that is currently planned to be held next year, junta-run media said on Thursday. Additionally, Wang said that China also supports a peace plan agreed to by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), known as five-point “consensus”, to resolve the crisis in Myanmar.
(With inputs from Reuters)
