Commentary: China-Myanmar ties remain promising with election of new president

The fundamentals of friendly relations between China and Myanmar will remain unchanged after Myanmar's new leadership comes to power.

U Htin Kyaw from Myanmar's ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won the presidential election Tuesday, becoming Myanmar's new president for the next five years.

Yet, U Htin Kyaw is a long-time friend of Aung San Suu Kyi who could not assume Myanmar's presidency due to constitutional restraints. Aung San Suu Kyi's influence and prestige has not been eroded, and she is still the commander of the NLD and entrusted by the public.

Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to head the NLD to govern Myanmar, fulfill her promises of ushering in change in the country, and lead the country towards future prosperity. Her open talks about China-Myanmar relations in recent years have been positive.

In November 2015 after her NLD won Myanmar's elections, she told Xinhua that the party would continue to value Myanmar's relations with its neighbors and would relay Myanmar's friendship to China.

In June 2015, Aung San Suu Kyi led a NLD delegation to China and met Chinese leaders. The two sides reached consensus on enhancing China-Myanmar ties, which laid a political foundation for continuously advancing bilateral ties.

China and Myanmar are close neighbors and bilateral trade is a very important component of their ties. According to statistics, about one-third of Myanmar's foreign trade goes to China, and China's investment also accounts for one-third of the total foreign investment in Myanmar.

Mutual benefits will surely boost relations between the two countries.

Aung San Suu Kyi has said that Myanmar welcomed all countries, including China, to invest in the country, while lauding China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Undoubtedly, the ongoing change in Myanmar has not only altered the political dynamics of the country, but also spilled over to various fields. It is delightful to see that more and more people in Myanmar realize that stronger China-Myanmar relations meet the fundamental and long-term interests of the two countries and two peoples.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently has expressed confidence in China-Myanmar relations, noting that the friendship is "strong and dynamic."

Relations between the two countries will not be weakened by the changes in Myanmar's domestic situation, Wang told a press conference on March 8 on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress.

The NLD in Myanmar has kept friendly contact with China, Wang said, adding "our mutual understanding and trust has been growing."

Looking back to the past, all the fundamentals of friendly relations between China and Myanmar had not changed, no matter how the international situation has fluctuated; looking to the future, those fundamentals will remain the same. The future of China-Myanmar relations is undoubtedly promising. Endi