Li said during his meeting in Beijing on Wednesday with the chairman of Myanmar's State Peace and Development Council, that Myanmar was one of the first countries to forge diplomatic ties with China. Their bilateral ties had grown steadily in the past 50years and their fraternal friendship had taken root in the hearts of the two peoples.

Cooperation in politics, trade and economics, culture and the military had borne fruit in recent years and both countries worked together well in international affairs, Li said.

Li said the traditional friendship was established by former leaders of the two countries and late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai had visited Myanmar nine times.

The 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) had just concluded and China's leadership transition had been smooth, Li said.

China would continue to follow guidelines for good-neighborly friendship and cooperation, and would always highly value China-Myanmar ties, he said.

Li stressed that China had always held that all countries, big or small, strong or weak, were equal members of the international community and had the right to choose their own path.

China played an active part in multipolarization and economic globalization, maintaining global peace and advocating a new international order.

Than Shwe happily recalled Li's visit to Myanmar in 1994. He said Myanmar had made great progress in economic and social development in recent years and cooperation with China had also reaped fruitful results and maintained a good momentum.

He said he believed their fraternal friendship would be strengthened. He also thanked China for its economic assistance and political support.

Than Shwe congratulated the CPC on the success of the 16th National Congress, saying he believed the new leadership would make an even greater contribution to the friendship with Myanmar in the new century.

(Xinhua News Agency January 9, 2003)