Myanmar's new gov't aims to accelerate socioeconomic development, improve ties with neighboring countries: president

Myanmar's new government is determined to accelerate the country's economic and social development, and seeks to improve relations with neighboring countries, Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing said on Wednesday.

Min Aung Hlaing said that in an interview with the China Media Group in Beijing during his five-day state visit to China which ended on Friday. The visit marked his 13th visit to China and his first since assuming office as Myanmar president.

"Our new government takes national development as its responsibility, with the comprehensive development of the country, the people, the economy, and society as its primary goals. Myanmar is a country that has developed relatively slowly, and we are determined to accelerate the pace of development. In addition, we are committed to strengthening international relations, improving relations with neighboring countries, and developing bilateral ties to promote national development. These are the objectives and tasks of this administration," he said.

The U.S. dollar edged lower in late trading on Friday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, dropped 0.12 percent to 100.729 at 15:00 (1900 GMT).

In late New York trading, the euro was up to 1.1477 dollars from 1.1459 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound climbed to 1.3234 dollars from 1.3203 dollars in the previous session.

The U.S. dollar bought 161.26 Japanese yen, lower than 161.68 Japanese yen in the previous session. The U.S. dollar rose to 0.8066 Swiss francs from 0.8051 Swiss francs, and it advanced to 1.4174 Canadian dollars from 1.414 Canadian dollars. The U.S. dollar decreased to 9.5742 Swedish kronor from 9.5874 Swedish kronor.