On the evening of January 17, 2020 local time, President Xi Jinping attended a grand welcome banquet hosted by President U Win Myint of Myanmar at the President's Office in Nay Pyi Taw.

Accompanied by President U Win Myint, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, First Vice President U Myint Swe, Second Vice President U Henry Van Thio of Myanmar and others, Xi Jinping stepped into the banquet hall.

The military band played the national anthems of China and Myanmar.

In his speech, U Win Myint said, President Xi Jinping visits Myanmar as his first overseas trip in the new year, and the Myanmar people are deeply honored by that. The Myanmar side appreciates the Chinese side's support and assistance to Myanmar's peace and development. Myanmar and China have always adhered to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, respected and understood each other, and have been committed to developing closer cooperative partnership. I believe that President Xi Jinping's visit will become an important milestone in the development of bilateral relations, and wish President Xi Jinping a successful and fruitful visit.

In his speech, Xi Jinping appreciated the hospitality and thoughtful arrangements of the Myanmar government and people. Xi Jinping pointed out, looking back into the past, the reason why the "pauk-phaw" friendship between the two countries can last thousands of years and become ever stronger is that both sides have always adhered to the "pauk-phaw" friendship featuring sincerity to each other, to the fine tradition of standing together through thick and thin, and to the cooperation policy featuring mutual respect and mutual benefit. Looking into the future, the two sides should take the 70th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations as an opportunity to jointly build a China-Myanmar community with a shared future and usher in a new era of bilateral relations.

Xi Jinping stressed, the two countries should continue to be good neighbors helping each other through thick and thin, continue to uphold the spirit of good-neighborliness and friendliness, and create a more favorable environment for the people's work and life and for economic and social development of the two countries. Both sides should persist in being good friends who share weal and woe, and continue to work together to carry forward the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence under the new circumstances, firmly support each other's major concerns, and jointly promote world peace, stability, prosperity and development. Both countries should insist on being good partners for win-win cooperation, and push the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor into substantive construction to play a demonstrative and leading role in bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various areas and bring greater benefits to the two peoples. The two sides should also insist on being good pauk-phaw with mutual affinity to gain people's support, accommodate their wills and benefit them, so as to pass on the cause of bilateral friendship from generation to generation. I believe that in the new year, China and Myanmar will continue to help each other, and work together for new progress in respective national development and write a new chapter in bilateral friendship.

Ding Xuexiang, Yang Jiechi, Wang Yi, He Lifeng and others were present.