CNI News
10 September 2025
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of the State Security and Peace Commission, spoke about how important Myanmar is for China.
He explained this on September 6, 2025, at the 2nd China-Myanmar Entrepreneurs Cooperation Promotion Meeting held in China.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said that Myanmar, being a neighbor of the world’s most populous country China, India, and also densely populated Bangladesh, has many opportunities for trade.
He added that geographically, Myanmar is strategically located at the junction of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and China. It also sits at a crossroads of regional transport routes, and for China, Myanmar can provide a vital outlet to the Indian Ocean.
Therefore, Myanmar’s transport and infrastructure sectors hold significant potential for China, he noted.
He also said that among the 53 countries that have invested in Myanmar, China ranks second.
The trade value between China and Myanmar amounted to over USD 8 billion in the 2023–2024 fiscal year, and over USD 7.7 billion in the 2024–2025 fiscal year, he explained.
The Senior General stressed that trade between the two countries remains strong, and Myanmar is striving to produce more high-value-added products including timber based ones to supply both domestic and international markets. Hence, Myanmar wishes to further expand trade and investment.
“Our two countries are cooperating in areas such as economy, social affairs, border trade, infrastructure development, transport connectivity, and the operation of border gates, which are key sectors for bilateral trade.” said the commission chairman.
He urged cooperation to reopen border gates where trade has been suspended due to armed group attacks, so that trading activities can resume.
He added that with China’s assistance, Myanmar has been implementing development projects in education and healthcare for socio-economic growth, as well as in electricity, agriculture, industry, and transportation infrastructure. He also mentioned plans to enhance cooperation in technology.
Among China-Myanmar projects, the China-Myanmar railway project is particularly important, as it could bring significant benefits to cross-border trade, he said.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing visited China from August 30 to September 6, 2025, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
During his trip, he met with President Xi Jinping, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, Chinese and Myanmar entrepreneurs, and officials from Wuhan University. He also visited China’s space and AI technology institutions.
In addition, he held talks with other leaders including Indian Prime Minister Modi, Russian President Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar, Indonesian President Prabowo, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the President of Laos, the President of Kazakhstan, as well as the ASEAN Secretary-General.
He also attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, and the military parade marking the anniversary of the Chinese people’s victory in the Anti-Fascist Japanese War.
