On December 19, 2011, Myanmar President U Thein Sein met with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo in Nay Pyi Taw. Dai was here to attend the 4th Summit of the Greater Mekong Sub-region Economic Cooperation (GMS).

Dai first conveyed the cordial greetings from President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao and paid tribute to Myanmar's successful preparation for the GMS summit. He said the Chinese government adheres to a friendly policy toward Myanmar and the time-tested good neighborliness between the two nations has become an outstanding example for conducting state-to-state relations based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. He hoped the two sides could properly handle the problems in their cooperation by developing and expanding their cooperative ties so as to achieve better progress in all areas of cooperation.

Dai said China always supports Myanmar to embark on a development path chosen in line with its own national conditions. He lauded the efforts the Myanmar government has made to push forward domestic political reconciliation and improve foreign relations. He hoped the international community will create a favorable environment for Myanmar's development. He believed the Myanmar government has the wisdom and ability to address the problems and challenges on the way forward. A peaceful, stable, independent and prosperous Myanmar is in the common interests of the two nations, he added.

Dai said China is an active participant, staunch supporter and one of the beneficiaries of the GMS cooperation. China will continue to be a part of the cooperation, increasing investment and making more contributions. He also said China will take into account the interests of both the upper and lower Mekong subregion, and work with other countries in the region to jointly protect, utilize and manage the river and boost the security of its waterway, so as to facilitate development and improve people's livelihood along the river.

U Thein Sein asked Dai to convey his regards to President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao. He said the Myanmar-China paukphaw friendship has a long history with frequent high-level dialogue, close people-to-people contacts and fruitful mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, which brings tangible benefits to the two peoples. He introduced the domestic situation and foreign relations of Myanmar, adding that Myanmar thanks for China's long-standing support. He said Myanmar highly values bilateral relations with China and will not allow any damage to the ties. The government is willing to maintain close communication with China to push forward bilateral cooperation in energy, agriculture and major projects in a bid to boost their comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.

On the same day, Dai and Myanmar Vice-President Sai Mauk Kham attended the opening of the Nay Pyi Taw International Airport.