China vows to respect Myanmar’s sovereignty

23 March 2017
China vows to respect Myanmar’s sovereignty
The headquarters of the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) in Shanghai. Photo: AFP

The Chinese foreign ministry on Wednesday vowed to respect Myanmar's national sovereignty and independence, in response to reports that a Chinese bank had suspended the account of an ethnic armed group in Myanmar.
"I am not aware of that," Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a daily briefing, when responding to the question whether Chinese government demanded that China's State-owned lender Agricultural Bank of China suspend the account at the request of the Myanmar side.
"Adhering to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, we respect Myanmar's national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity," Hua said.
"We will never allow any organization or individual to sabotage China-Myanmar relations on Chinese territory and destabilize the border. Any violation of regulations and laws will be handled in accordance with law," she added.
"We appreciated this action [of account closure]. Stability and peace in the border area is the common interest of both sides," Myanmar's presidential spokesman, Zaw Htay, told Reuters. "[It was a] very positive move from China."
Courtesy Global Times