Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Myanmar was an "excellent start" of Beijing's diplomatic activities in 2020, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters on Saturday.

Wang made the remarks at the end of Xi's two-day visit to Nay Pyi Taw, noting that the Chinese president attended 12 events and witnessed the signing of 29 cooperation documents in various fields at Myanmar's capital.

It was President Xi's first overseas tour this year and a significant diplomatic move by China in its neighborhood, Wang said. He highlighted the "Paukphaw" (fraternal) friendship between China and Myanmar exemplified during the visit as well as extensive consensuses reached by the two sides.

According to a joint statement released on Saturday, China and Myanmar have agreed to work together to build a community with a shared future, opening a new era of bilateral ties, Wang noted. The decision will keep injecting new impetus and vitality to bilateral cooperation, he said.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have decided to launch the China-Myanmar Year of Culture and Tourism and hold over 70 activities, which will further deepen mutual understanding and trust between people on both sides, said the diplomat. 

Xi has reached new important consensuses with Myanmar leaders on high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, Wang said, noting that the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor project has entered a phase of "concrete development" from "concept sketching". 

Wang also hailed decades of joint efforts by China and Myanmar to uphold the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence: mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. 

With protectionism, unilateralism and hegemony still haunting international relations, China and Myanmar face new challenges in defending their sovereignty, security and development interests, Wang noted, underscoring mutual understanding and support between the two countries.

Xi met with Myanmar President U Win Myint, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Min Aung Hlaing during his state visit. It was the first trip to Myanmar by a Chinese president after an interval of 19 years.

(Cover: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, January 17, 2020. /Xinhua Photo)