BEIJING, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- China, already a close friend of the military-ruled Myanmar, will seek to boost bilateral ties with the isolated country, a senior Chinese legislator said.
"We attach importance to and support friendly exchanges and cooperation between social groups and organizations in China and Myanmar, which will contribute to the development of bilateral ties," Zhou Tienong, vice chairman of China's Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said in Beijing, Xinhua news agency reported.
Zhou, who spoke during a meeting with a visiting eight-member delegation from a government-supported organization from Myanmar, pledged to boost economic and trade cooperation with the international community, including Myanmar.
The delegation from the Union Solidarity and Development Association was led by U Than Htay, a member of the group's Central Executive Committee and Myanmar's deputy energy minister, the report said.
Myanmar, formerly called Burma, has been under military rule since 1962. The crackdown on pro-democracy movements in the country and the continued detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi have drawn widespread international condemnation.
Bilateral trade between China and Myanmar totaled $2.6 billion last year.
