By Feng Yingqiu

Myanmar's second top leader Maung Aye's recent goodwill visit to China has brought about new success in bilateral relations between the two countries, Myanmar state media commented Monday.

Maung Aye, Vice Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, Deputy Commander-in Chief of the Defense Services and Commander-in-Chief of the Army, paid a six-day goodwill visit to China from June 15 to 20 at the invitation of Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping.

In his meeting with Premier of China's State Council Wen Jiabao, Maung Aye said the relationship between Myanmar and China is based on Paukphaw (fraternal) relations and the two countries have been good neighborly nations for many years based on mutual understanding and respect and friendship, thanking China for its assistance in the development of Myanmar's economy.

Over the past 60 years, the leaders of both countries had tried their best to further strengthen the relations and cooperation between the two nations and the success has been achieved because China always considers the relations with Myanmar important under the China's foreign policy, Wen said, adding that in the international community, China will protect the fair interests of Myanmar.

Maung Aye and Vice President Xi Jinping also held discussions in Beijing over progress of cooperation in politics between the two countries, cooperative measures of the two countries and financial crisis, mutual cooperation in human resources development, energy, electrical, transport, trade and industrial sectors and prospects for cooperation in other sectors.

In their discussions, Maung Aye said his China visit was to enhance the existing bilateral relationship as well as to scale up the economic cooperation between the two good neighborly countries, while Xi said the peoples of China and Myanmar have maintained bilateral ties through the peaceful coexistence principle, recalling that Myanmar is one of the earliest countries to set up diplomatic relations with China and anticipating the 60th anniversary of the establishment next year.

"Thanks to the concerted efforts of the leaders of the two countries, the bilateral relationship and cooperative measures are achieving development in all aspects. In addition to the political sector, progress can be witnessed in economic, trade, cultural, military and other sectors," Xi said in the discussion.

Xi stressed that China supports the endeavors of the Myanmar government and the people for ensuring peace and stability, economic growth and national unity, believing that only the people and the government of Myanmar can solve its internal affairs and foreign countries should not interfere in the internal affairs of Myanmar and should not impose sanctions against it.

Xi also pledged that China will continue to support Myanmar in the international sphere and will stand by the interest of Myanmar.

During Maung Aye's trip in Beijing, three documents were signed, including an agreement on economic and technical cooperation, a memorandum of agreement on development, operation and transfer of hydropower projects in Maykha, Malikha and the upstream of Ayeyawaddy-Myitsone River Basin, and a memorandum of understanding related to development, operation and management of the Myanmar-China crude oil pipeline project.

Maung Aye invited both Vice President Xi and Premier Wen to visit Myanmar in the future.

Maung Aye's just-ended Beijing visit represents the third in six years. He had traveled to China in August 2003 and in April 2006.

According to Chinese official statistics, China-Myanmar bilateral trade amounted to 2.626 billion U.S. dollars in 2008, up26.4 percent year-on-year. Of the total, China's export to Myanmar totaled 1.978 billion dollars.

Up to the end of 2008, China's contracted investment in Myanmar reached 1.331 billion U.S. dollars. The investments in mining, electric power, and oil and gas respectively took 866 million U.S. dollars, 281 million U.S. dollars and 124 million U.S. dollars.

China has risen from the 6th position to the 4th in Myanmar's foreign investment line-up.

Source: Xinhua