NAYPYIDAW/BEIJING -- China and Myanmar on Saturday signed 33 agreements that will further strengthen economic ties between the countries, including a port project that will give Beijing a crucial pathway to the Indian Ocean.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi agreed to the projects in a meeting in Myanmar's capital. The meeting presented Xi an opportunity to accelerate the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) as part of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative at a time when Western nations are pulling back from Myanmar over its treatment of ethnic minority Rohingya.
