China’s top diplomat visited Myanmar’s capital and met with the leader of the country’s military-backed government as part of a regional tour aimed at strengthening Beijing’s political, security and strategic ties in Southeast Asia, according to state-run media.
The meeting took place Saturday, April 25, in Naypyitaw, where Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with state-run MRTV reporting that the two discussed deepening Myanmar’s ties internationally and strengthening cooperation within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
MRTV also said Wang Yi and Min Aung Hlaing discussed efforts related to ASEAN cooperation as Myanmar’s new presidential term begins. The report placed the visit in the context of Min Aung Hlaing’s April 10 inauguration as president, following an election that critics said was neither free nor fair and was designed to maintain the military’s grip on power five years after it ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government.
The state-run report said Min Aung Hlaing told Wang Yi that he was pleased that Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message within hours of his election. China, MRTV reported, has major geopolitical and economic interests in Myanmar, is Myanmar’s biggest trading partner and has long been an ally, with Beijing investing in mines, oil and gas pipelines and other infrastructure and supplying arms alongside Russia.
China’s outreach to Min Aung Hlaing has included openly supporting recent elections and sending congratulatory messages, even as ASEAN — whose 11 members include Myanmar — did not recognize the election results after most opposition groups were excluded and dissent was tightly restricted. Voting also could not take place in some areas because of Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, according to the same reporting.
Myanmar’s leaders were also barred from attending ASEAN meetings after failing to implement a peace plan agreed to by the bloc in April 2021. That plan called for an immediate end to violence, dialogue among all parties and humanitarian aid, and the report said Myanmar’s previous military government allowed limited humanitarian aid on its own restrictive terms and did not comply with other terms of the plan.
In his April 10 inauguration speech, Min Aung Hlaing said restoring normal relations with ASEAN was among his top priorities, MRTV reported. The visit then broadened to other issues, with the report saying the sides exchanged views on border stability, cooperation in eliminating cybercrime and Myanmar’s internal peace efforts.
China also maintains ties with ethnic armed groups operating near its border, including the “Three Brotherhood Alliance,” which has been fighting for decades for greater autonomy from Myanmar’s central government. MRTV said the alliance captured large swaths of territory near the Chinese border and in western Myanmar between late 2023 and 2024, though it said that a series of China-brokered ceasefires last year slowed the alliance’s advances, allowing Myanmar’s army to retake key territories and regain the upper hand since mid-2025.