BEIJING, June 16 (AFP): Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday, state media reported, seeking to bolster trade and security ties with his diplomatically isolated country's most crucial ally.
China is a rare enduring partner for Myanmar after Min Aung Hlaing's 2021 coup ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, prompting Western nations to cut ties with the Southeast Asian nation.
China has emerged as a key power-broker in the civil war sparked by the coup, and also vocally backed recent polls that excluded Suu Kyi's party and returned a walk-over win for pro-military MPs -- who elected Min Aung Hlaing as president. Xi held a welcome ceremony for Min Aung Hlaing at Beijing's opulent Great Hall of the People on Tuesday morning, before the two leaders met for talks, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Min Aung Hlaing landed in Beijing on Monday to a red carpet welcome, according to images shared by his office, and spent the first hours of his five-day trip touring Beijing Aerospace City -- the centre of China's space programme.
Myanmar's president meets China's Xi in Beijing
FE Team | Published: June 16, 2026 22:30:08
Myanmar's president meets China's Xi in Beijing
Share if you like