THE Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr Li Zhaoxing, arrived in Yangon last Wednesday evening for a one-day visit aimed at strengthening bilateral friendship.

Mr Li’s visit reciprocated Foreign Minister U Nyan Win’s trip to Beijing in May.

Mr Li was due to meet the Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, Senior General Than Shwe, and the Prime Minister, General Soe Win, separately on the next day before returning to Beijing on the same evening.

Mr Li’s visit, his first to Myanmar since appointment to the post in 2003, included talks aimed at strengthening the friendly and long-standing bilateral relations between the two countries, a Chinese source in Yangon said.

China supports Myanmar’s efforts to maintain peace and stability while achieving national reconciliation. Beijing opposes the use of sanctions by Western countries against Myanmar.

China is Myanmar’s third largest trading partner, after Singapore and Thailand, and is a main source of financial and technical assistance for infrastructure development projects in the country.