Chinese President Xi Jinping praised Myanmar's engagement with the Belt and Road Initiative during a meeting with the country's president, U Htin Kyaw, in Beijing on Monday.
President Xi said China and Myanmar should support each other in issues that matter to each other's core interests.
"China is willing to connect strategically with Myanmar, and push for cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, energy, agriculture, water conservancy, electric power, finance, and border economic cooperation," Xi said.
President U Htin Kyaw said Myanmar supports and is willing to actively join the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.
The two presidents also agreed to push for further healthy and stable bilateral relations. On Monday, they witnessed the signing of agreements related to economic technology, medical services, sports, traffic, forestry and cultural relics.
On Friday, U Htin Kyaw said his country is studying how to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative. While visiting Xi'an in China's Shaanxi Province, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, U Htin Kyaw expressed hope of enhancing cooperation with Shaanxi in areas such as trade and vocational training.
China's Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin also said on Monday that both countries have reached an agreement on an oil pipeline project, which will open "very quickly." He said an oil refinery to receive crude oil through the pipeline had already been completed near the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming.
In 2014, Myanmar began transmission of natural gas to China. Under the joint project, Myanmar can draw two billion cubic meters of gas annually. And on Monday, the two countries finally agreed to begin transmitting crude oil. Each year, 22 million tons of oil from the Middle East will pass through Myanmar to China's Yunnan Province.
China and Myanmar to further cooperate on border security and economic issues
Although China is Myanmar's largest trading partner, unstable border regions are influencing bilateral cross-border economic cooperation.
Endless armed conflicts in northern Myanmar have been affecting the stability of the Sino-Myanmar borders.
Armed clashes broke out in early March in Myanmar's northern Shan state. The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army then launched an offensive, resulting in dozens of casualties.
That has reportedly affected Chinese investors.
According to Xinhua News Agency, China's investment in Myanmar was 2.8 billion U.S. dollars in the 2016-2017 fiscal year, a sharp decrease of approximately 500 million U.S. dollars from the previous fiscal year.
But according to the vice minister of China's foreign affairs, the two sides will continue to work on maintaining border stability through a two plus two strategic and defense dialogue mechanism.
President U Htin Kyaw on Monday also talked with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress.
The Myanmar president is in China for a six-day visit from April 6 to 11. He is accompanied by a delegation of over 30 members, including representatives from the country's commerce and construction industries.
China is the largest trading partner and the biggest source of foreign funding for Myanmar, and the two countries have maintained close high-level contacts. Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi paid a five-day official visit to China last August.
