China Myanmar Photo:VCG

China sincerely hopes Myanmar will achieve stability and national development, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said during his visit to Myanmar's capital Nay Pyi Taw, during which China and Myanmar agreed to further promote comprehensive strategic cooperation between the two countries and deepen cooperation in various fields, including border security and anti-fraud measures. 

Qin's visit to Myanmar shows China and Myanmar are close neighbors with shared interests and an inevitable impact on each other, analysts said. 

During meeting with Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing in the Myanmar capital on Tuesday, Qin said the two neighbors share "Paukphaw" (fraternal) friendship, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

Qin said China supports Myanmar in exploring a development path with Myanmar characteristics that suits its national conditions, supports Myanmar in advancing its political transition process and backs relevant parties in the country to properly address differences and seek national reconciliation under a constitutional and legal framework.

Min Aung Hlaing said that Myanmar is willing to work with China to further enhance Myanmar-China friendship and cooperation and actively build a Myanmar-China community with a shared future. 

At a meeting with Qin on Tuesday, Myanmar's Union Minister for Foreign Affairs Than Swe said the country is ready to work with China to safeguard security and stability in the border areas. Myanmar is also willing to strengthen cooperation with China's security departments and crack down on internet fraud, which seriously undermines the interests of Chinese citizens.

Than Swe said Myanmar firmly adheres to the one-China principle, supports China's Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, and strongly supports China on issues concerning its core interests.

Before kicking off his Myanmar tour, Qin on Tuesday made an inspection tour to China-Myanmar border areas in Yunnan, stressing the importance of maintaining stability at the China-Myanmar border, advancing friendship and cooperation between China and Myanmar, and opening up new prospects of border-related and Myanmar-related work.

"The visit comes against a backdrop where the political and security situation in Myanmar has not been fully resolved. Therefore, peace and stability are the top priority for Myanmar," Fan Hongwei, director of the Center for Southeast Asia Studies at Xiamen University, told the Global Times. 

Without peace and stability, long-term development and cooperation will be hard to achieve, Fan said. At present, the interests of Chinese citizens and Chinese companies have been affected by Myanmar's domestic situation and instability along the border, he added. 

"China and Myanmar are truly a community of shared interests and a shared future. Bilateral trade and logistics are all related to Myanmar's internal stability," Fan said.

The two sides would essentially follow the direction of the agreement and framework reached by the countries' top leaders in 2020, Fan said. "The two sides can start with some livelihood projects, which are acceptable to all parties in Myanmar and take into account the complicated political situation in Myanmar," he added.

According to Qin, China is willing to accelerate key cooperation projects of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor and implement projects on agriculture, education and healthcare, among others, for the benefit of the Myanmar people. 

Cooperation between the two sides under the Belt and Road Initiative will be key [and] cooperation in dealing with drugs, crime and other problems is also important, said Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University. 

However, some Western media have described China as a "major ally" and even an "arms supplier" with ulterior motives.   

The US and some Western countries have a strong intention to intervene in the Myanmar situation, and at the same time use Myanmar as a tool to worsen China's external environment, Li said. 

China-Myanmar relations will definitely move forward, Li said, "Both sides uphold the basic principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs and respect for each other's choice of path, especially their own core interests… The interests of both sides are fundamentally integrated, so cooperation between China and Myanmar will enjoy even broader prospects."