Myanmar Ambassador Shares “Pauk-phaw”Friendship Story in Nanjing

From 28 to 30 April 2025, Ambassador U Tin Maung Swe of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to China delivered a lecture in Nanjing University as part of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC)’s “Lecture Series on ASEAN-China Relations”. Nearly 100 faculty members and students from Nanjing University attended the lecture, including students from Myanmar and other ASEAN Member States.

Ambassador U Tin Maung Swe introduced the history and development of “Pauk-phaw” friendship between Myanmar and China. He stated that Myanmar is committed to developing the Myanmar-China community with a shared future and playing an active role in deepening the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He emphasized that the relations of Myanmar and China have been built on shared values of harmony and cooperation, and the two countries have demonstrated unwavering support for each other in regional and global affairs. He stressed that Myanmar will work closely with China to continuously deepen political mutual trust and advance practical cooperation and exchanges in various fields such as economy, trade, and people-to-people exchanges, to ensure the relations remain strong and dynamic, and bring more benefits to the two peoples. He commended China's prompt dispatch of national rescue teams and delivery of necessary assistance to the aid of Myanmar’s earthquake disaster.

After the lecture, Ambassador U Tin Maung Swe had an active interaction with the audience. When addressing the issue of cyber fraud, he reaffirmed Myanmar government's firm stance on combating such crimes. In response to a question about how Myanmar is responding to the impact of US tariff measures, the Ambassador said that Myanmar will endeavor to consolidate cooperation with China, ASEAN and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) partners, to promote people-to-people exchanges and explore cooperation in emerging areas such as digital economy and green economy.  

Secretary General Shi Zhongjun of the ACC also participated and addressed the audience. He highlighted the positive development of ASEAN-China and Myanmar-China relations, and encouraged the young students to actively participate in promoting cultural affinity and people-to-people exchanges between ASEAN and China, to carry forward the traditional Myanmar-China and ASEAN-China friendship, and contribute to building the Myanmar-China community with a shared future and a closer ASEAN-China community with a shared future.

Before the lecture, Vice President Lu Yanqing of Nanjing University met with Ambassador U Tin Maung Swe and Secretary General Shi Zhongjun. Lu Yanqing expressed gratitude to the ACC for organizing the “Lecture Series on ASEAN-China Relations” at Nanjing University. He introduced Nanjing University’s close cooperation with Myanmar and other ASEAN countries, and emphasized that ASEAN is the most important international partner for the University. In the era of artificial intelligence, the University would like to carry new areas of exchanges and cooperation with Myanmar and other ASEAN countries. Ambassador U Tin Maung Swe and SG Shi encouraged Nanjing University to expand recruitment of Myanmar and ASEAN students, to facilitate knowledge transfer in cutting-edge fields like AI while deepening bilateral people-to-people connectivity.

During this visit in Nanjing, Ambassador U Tin Maung Swe and SG Shi also paid visits to the Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology and the Jiangsu University, where they met with leadership of the Universities and had interaction with students from Myanmar on the campus. 

The ACC’s “Lecture Series on ASEAN-China Relations” aims to promote people-to-people exchanges and mutual understanding between ASEAN and China, especially to raise awareness of ASEAN and ASEAN-China relations among the younger generations in China. Since its launch in 2013, a total of 22 lectures have been held in a number of prestigious universities across China, which have been warmly received by the audience.