President Xi Jinping met with Myanmar's acting President Min Aung Hlaing in the port city of Tianjin on Saturday.
Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Tianjin earlier on Saturday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025, scheduled for Sunday to Monday, and the commemorations of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War scheduled for Sept 3 in Beijing.
During the meeting, Xi pointed out that Myanmar was part of the eastern theater in the World Anti-Fascist War and is an important dialog partner of the SCO.
Xi said that the deep-rooted pauk-phaw friendship between China and Myanmar has withstood the test of time and remained as strong as ever. The two sides should take the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to deepen strategic cooperation, accelerate the building of a community with a shared future, and deliver more benefits to the two peoples.
Xi stressed that China supports Myanmar in pursuing a development path that suits its national conditions, and safeguarding its national sovereignty, security, and development interests.
Xi said that China also supports Myanmar in its post-earthquake reconstruction, improving people's livelihoods, and fostering broad unity among domestic political forces to restore stability and development.
The two sides should advance key projects of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor and promote economic and trade cooperation, said Xi.
The two countries should work together to combat cross-border crimes, jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the China-Myanmar border areas, and ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, institutions, and projects in Myanmar, said Xi.
Both countries should uphold the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and jointly defend the international system with the United Nations at its core, said Xi.
Min Aung Hlaing said at the meeting that China and Myanmar share a profound pauk-phaw friendship and a common pursuit of peace and stability, and both countries made important contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.
He said that China has always been a good neighbor and friend to Myanmar, providing long-term support for its economic and social development, assisting in post-disaster reconstruction, and playing a constructive role in maintaining peace and stability in northern Myanmar.
Myanmar remains unwavering in its adherence to the one-China policy and is committed to working with China to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, expanding collaboration in trade, investment, energy, infrastructure, and other fields to create greater well-being for the peoples of both countries, said Min Aung Hlaing.
As a dialog partner of the SCO, Myanmar is willing to actively contribute to the development of the SCO, he said.
The two sides signed a number of bilateral cooperation documents in customs, media and other areas.
Xi meets Myanmar's acting president in Tianjin
Xi meets Myanmar's acting president in Tianjin
The three astronauts of China's recently-returned Shenzhou-20 mission on Friday shared the experiences of their dramatic 204-day space mission, including detailing the emergency procedures which were implemented to bring them safely home after their return capsule was struck by space debris.
The trio -- Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie -- met with the press in Beijing on Friday afternoon, marking their first public appearance since returning to Earth in November.
When detailing the emergency response mechanisms which were enacted prior to their scheduled return, the astronauts explained that upon discovering a triangular crack on the spacecraft's viewport window, they immediately took photos for documentation and transmitted them to the ground team, who swiftly activated an emergency plan to get the trio home safely.
Experienced mission commander Chen Dong explained how the crew had complete faith in their colleagues on the ground to find a solution to these unforeseen circumstances which led to their return being delayed.
"First, we must trust the ground team, who would anticipate everything and develop the safest return plan for us. Second, we must believe in ourselves; as well-trained astronauts, we have the ability to manage various unexpected failures. I believe that with the collaboration of astronauts and researchers on the ground, our space home will surely go farther, more steadily, and for a longer time," he said.
Following their extended stay in space as a result of the debris incident, the Shenzhou-20 crew spent a total 204 days in orbit, setting a new record for the longest duration by a single group of Chinese astronauts.
During their mission, they completed multiple payload operations, conducted extensive scientific experiments, and carried out four extravehicular activities.
"Our crew worked together with the ground team in unity and coordination, completing four extravehicular activities, several payload entry and exit tasks, and a large number of scientific experiments. It was a fulfilling yet challenging mission. The path to exploring the heavens is long and arduous, but I firmly believe that China's space missions will succeed," said Chen Zhongrui, a former air force pilot who was making his first spaceflight during the mission.
"From the ground to space, from learning to application, I have deeply felt the solid progress of Chinese space endeavors and the quiet dedication of countless personnel behind the scenes. In the future, I will accomplish each mission with full commitment, living up to the trust of the motherland and the people," said fellow astronaut Wang Jie, who was also making his debut spaceflight.
After returning to Earth on Nov 14, the trio successfully completed their isolation recovery and rehabilitation and will now resume normal training following health assessments.
The crew's return, originally scheduled for Nov 5, was postponed due to safety concerns, with the astronauts later using the return capsule belonging to their successor crew of the Shenzhou-21 mission to get back to Earth. China later launched the unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft which will serve the future return of the crew now aboard the Tiangong Space Station.
Shenzhou-20 astronauts share experiences after safely returning from debris incident
