On September 16, 2021, Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Liu Jinsong met with Myanmar Ambassador to China U Myo Thant Pe. The two sides had a friendly and in-depth exchange of views on China-Myanmar relations, anti-pandemic cooperation, and international and regional issues of common concern.

Liu Jinsong said that China and Myanmar enjoy a two-thousand-year history of friendly exchanges through the "Southern Silk Road". Over ten years ago, during my visit to the sacred site of Buddhism, Bagan, which is also known as the "city of ten thousand pagodas", I was deeply impressed by the long history and splendid culture of Myanmar. At the beginning of last year, President Xi Jinping made a historic state visit to Myanmar. I was honored to be part of the diplomatic mission for my second trip to Myanmar and witnessed the start of the new era of the China-Myanmar community with a shared future. China and Myanmar are connected by shared mountains and rivers. As a Myanmar proverb says, the two peoples are near and dear "pauk-phaw" brothers who are "in the same boat and share the same river". Marshal Chen Yi, former Chinese Foreign Minister, wrote in his poem celebrating the deep friendship between China and Myanmar that, "I live here upstream, and you live there downstream, our endless friendship flows like the river, and the river combines us together". Facing the impacts of COVID-19, China and Myanmar stuck together and helped each other to overcome difficulties, vividly reflecting the spirit of the China-Myanmar community with a shared future through thick and thin.

Liu Jinsong stressed that people in Myanmar often say that "you get nothing by just sitting there". China is willing to work with Myanmar hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder to seize the opportunity to implement the significant results achieved during President Xi Jinping's visit to Myanmar and accelerate the building of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor. China will continue to increase its anti-pandemic assistance to Myanmar and enhance joint prevention and control at the border for an early victory over the pandemic. Myanmar is now serving as the country coordinator of China-ASEAN relations. China is looking forward to enhancing communication and coordination with Myanmar to jointly push China-ASEAN relations and East Asia Cooperation to new levels.

U Myo Thant Pe said that China is a good neighbor, good friend, good brother, and good partner to Myanmar. He is grateful for China's generous provision of anti-pandemic supplies and its vaccine support to help his country effectively address the impacts of the pandemic. It is the best example of the special "pauk-phaw" friendship between the two countries. Myanmar is willing to strengthen anti-pandemic and development cooperation with China, jointly promote the development of ASEAN-China relations, continue to collaborate and coordinate in the international arena, and jointly build the Myanmar-China community with a shared future.