Extending solidarity between Myanmar and China’s Yunnan

By Thet Mon Tun

YUNNAN Province, the closest Chinese territory to Myanmar geographically and ethnically, is rich in cultural heritage with natural re­sources. Stretching approximately 2,000 kilometres in borderline, Myanmar and China’s Yunnan Province have been standing together and sharing common values and cultures through all ups and downs, tied to history.

Eight-day visit that shaped regional integrity

China hosted the 9th China-South Asia Exposition and the 29th China Kun­ming Import and Export Fair in Kunming, Yunnan Province, from 19 to 24 June. As a sideline event, Yunnan International Television Station organized the 4th Gen­eration Z Lancang-Mekong Audio Visual Week 2025 from 20 to 25 June, which invit­ed young diplomats from China’s neigh­bouring countries, aiming to strengthen regional integrity by reciprocal learning.

The eight-day programme brought together a total of 15 young diplomats from Mekong Region countries, as well as from maritime Southeast Asian nations like Malaysia and Indonesia, and South Asian countries such as Pakistan and Nepal, to participate in the project of creation camp project, aiming to expand cultural integrity among Asian civiliza­tions. I was one of the participants to join it as a Myanmar media representative.

From my perspective, the whole pro­gram was designed to share knowledge of or exchange traditions, cultures and his­tories that have been upheld by Yunnan people up to these days since prehistoric time with Yunnan’s neighbouring Asian friends. Hence, it was fostering the com­prehensive principles of the Chinese pro­posed Global Civilization Initiatives (GCI).

Essential means of the GCI can be interpreted as upholding humanity, respecting diversity of civilizations and inheritances, which in turn, promotes robust international people-to-people exchange. Understanding the versatile attitudes of different communities en­courages harmonious cooperation while seeking a peaceful global order. Rejecting coercively exporting the phenomenon of ‘globalization’ with main adverse prod­ucts: ‘Clash of Civilizations’ or ‘Cultural Shock’, the GCI emphasizes mutually exchanging social norms and common values under mutual learning. In these ways, the GCI aims to shape a global, peaceful environment with mutual re­spect.

Bound by nature to be the Lan­cang-Mekong Cooperation

Sightseeing picturesque natural landscapes and learning about the cul­tural diversity in Yunnan during the trip gave me of Asian countries, especial­ly southern China, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, shar­ing the same origins of continental re­sources with mountains, hills and rivers. Consequently, common cultural habits, ancestral rituals and social norms are being shared particularly within their closely related ethnical tribes of mainland Southeast Asia.

These shared cultural and geograph­ical heritages reflect core values of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation and the unity of the region.

Learning hotspots in the 4th Gener­ation Z Lancang-Mekong Audio Visual Week 2025 were Chinese tea culture and tea history, and Yunnan’s Dai ethnic heritage, specifically in Pu’er and Xish­uangbanna cities. In addition to them, the young Asian diplomats also partially studied the culturally related economic development of the province, and the fruitful hub in trade and transport of the China-Laos Railway.

Myanmar-Yunnan’s shared histo­ry from the Tea Horse Road to the CMEC

Pu’er City, the hidden paradise in Yunnan Province and is renowned as China’s tea capital, and has extensive tea plantations in both traditional and mod­ern technologies. It could be learned that the city contributes a significant effort in China’s securing UNESCO heritage rec­ognition of tea by advancing in research and development.

In 2022, UNESCO inscribed Chinese tea, its associated cultural practices like traditional tea processing techniques, China’s historical significance of tea, and its social importance in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. China’s achievement of the intangible cultural heritage of tea at UNESCO is an earnest worthy.

Pu’er played a key role in tea trading back in many centuries ago as part of the ancient Chinese Silk Road to the west. To my knowledge, Myanmar was observed as one of Pu’er’s destinations in the An­cient Tea Horse Road, which started in the Tang Dynasty; then, flourished in the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty.

Not only in the ancient Chinese Silk Road, Myanmar and China’s Yun­nan Province also play key roles as the ‘China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC)’ in part of the modern-day Belt and Road Initiative. The project includes high-speed railways and highways by connecting Myanmar’s Kyaukphyu in Rakhine State through Mandalay, Lashio and Muse to Kunming in Yunnan. Extend­ing to Yangon, the strategically proposed project is envisioned to promote regional economic integration and development. By these means, the regional GDP Index is expected to experience a big jump.

Pu’er’s educational support for My­anmar

Bound by history, China’s Yunnan Province and Myanmar have shared mu­tual coexistence in successive eras. Edu­cation is another key sector that fosters strong ties between the two countries.

I had the opportunity to visit Pu’er University during the programme, where approximately 20 Myanmar students are studying different subjects with Chinese scholarships.

“Every year, we have several My­anmar students. They are very good at Chinese and hardworking in their studies. All Myanmar students in Pu’er University are studying with different ranks of schol­arships. Computer Science, Chinese Ed­ucation, Mathematics and Management are the most favourite majors chosen by the Myanmar students,” said Director of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange at Pu’er University, Mr Bai Leigang, adding that Pu’er University has a strong tie with Myanmar’s University of Yangon and the Yangon University of Foreign Languages. Both sides engage in annual student exchange programs and hold online meetings to strengthen their academic cooperation.

At present, China offers a range of government scholarships for Myanmar students, including the Chinese Govern­ment Scholarship (CSC), ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship, Confucius Institute Scholarship/ Chinese Language Study Scholarships, Yunnan Provincial Government Scholarships, Universi­ty-Specific Scholarships, and Silk Road Scholarship Program.

Furthermore, during the official vis­it of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Prime Minister and State Administration Council Chairman of Myanmar, to China last year in November, China pledged to provide more scholarship programs for Myanmar students shortly.

Myanmar, Yunnan stand together through all ups and downs

Last but not least, in the recent earthquake which hit Myanmar on 28 March 2025, China was the country that arrived in Myanmar the very first among international rescue operations. Sharing the borderline, the first Chinese rescue team with 32 members with rescue equip­ment from Yunnan Province arrived in Myanmar within 17 hours after the quake. It evidenced the strong solidarity existing between Myanmar and China, sharing weal and woe, particularly in the hard­ship times.