China rallies support for Myanmar peace at Thailand meeting

(Reuters) BEIJING — China urged neighboring countries to help war-torn Myanmar advance its peace and reconciliation process as its foreign minister met counterparts from Laos, Myanmar and Thailand on Friday.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi called the situation in Myanmar “worrying,” and he suggested neighboring countries should promote cooperation with Myanmar to help it create economic and social conditions that prevent conflict.

Earlier, Wang told a news conference in Thailand that China supports a democratic transition in Myanmar and backs a regional plan to find a way out of the ongoing crisis in the Southeast Asian country.

Wang said neighboring countries “sitting in the same boat, and drinking water from the same river” have a better understanding of Myanmar’s situation than others.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since February 2021 when the military ousted an elected civilian government in a coup, abruptly ending the impoverished country’s tentative steps toward becoming a full-fledged democracy.

“No one wants Myanmar to restore stability and development more than its neighbors,” Wang said.