Tianjin, August 30, 2025 – Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed China’s support for Myanmar’s political structure and its efforts toward development and stability during a meeting with Myanmar’s Acting President and Chairman of the State Security and Peace Commission, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The discussions took place at the Tianjin Guesthouse on the evening of August 30, as part of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s working visit to the People’s Republic of China at the invitation of President Xi.
President Xi emphasized China’s consistent stance in supporting Myanmar’s progress and stability, expressing gratitude for Myanmar’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 and the 80th anniversary commemorations of China’s victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the global anti-fascist war.
In response, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing highlighted Myanmar’s historical resistance against fascism, noting that the Myanmar Armed Forces commemorate March 27, 1945, as the start of their anti-fascist revolution, which is also marked as Armed Forces Day. He added that Myanmar celebrated the 80th anniversary of this milestone on March 27, 2025. He further underscored the significance of the SCO Summit in fostering international cooperation, noting Myanmar’s status as a dialogue partner since May 2023 and expressing hope for China’s continued support in Myanmar’s bid to become a full SCO member.
The leaders reviewed agreements reached during their May 2025 meeting in Moscow, focusing on countering foreign interference in Myanmar’s political affairs, enhancing the China-Myanmar strategic partnership, and promoting Myanmar’s stability. They also discussed Myanmar’s dignified participation in international and regional organizations.
Key topics included cooperation on Myanmar’s peace process, boosting trade, accelerating projects under the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative and the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), sustainable use of natural resources, and China’s assistance following the Mandalay earthquake. Both leaders emphasized strengthening bilateral ties and supporting Myanmar’s upcoming multi-party democratic general elections scheduled for December 28, 2025, including preparations for international election observers.
President Xi reiterated China’s diplomatic support for Myanmar’s election preparations and its SCO membership aspirations, while both sides committed to deepening collaboration across various sectors. The discussions, described as open and constructive, underscored the mutual commitment to advancing bilateral relations and regional cooperation, according to a statement from Myanmar’s state media.
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August 24, 2025- The Myanmar Government Information Team has warned that the TNLA and PDF terrorist groups who destroyed the world-famous historic Gokteik Viaduct with mines will face strong retaliation.
“This viaduct is a source of national pride and is widely used by the public. Its destruction is a cruel and ruthless act committed by TNLA and PDF terrorists. Regarding this, we will continue to carry out severe retaliatory actions,” Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, head of the government’s Information Team, stated.
He added, “Based on current assessments, it seems highly unlikely that the viaduct can be repaired soon.”
On Sunday, August 24, at around 9:10 a.m., TNLA and PDF terrorists detonated mines on the northern side of the Gokteik Viaduct, which connects Nawnghkio and Kyaukme. The explosions damaged both the steel trusses and the brick supports of the structure.
The Gokteik Viaduct is a world-renowned historic landmark. Construction began in April 1899 and was completed on January 1, 1900. The 2,260-foot-long viaduct connects two mountain ridges and was built under contract by the Myanmar government of the time with American bridge construction companies from Pennsylvania and Maryland.
During World War II, the viaduct was twice destroyed by both Allied and Japanese forces. In May 1948, four months after Myanmar’s independence, Myanmar Railways began restoration work, which was completed in August 1951.
This latest attack is seen as a deliberate act by TNLA terrorists, who have been suffering defeats due to military offensives.
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MINBU, Myanmar, Aug 20, 2025 — Myanmar has lost about 7% of its forest cover over the past 20 years, the country’s leader said on Tuesday, pledging new tree-planting efforts to slow the pace of deforestation.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, chairman of the State Security and Peace Commission, said forest coverage stood at 49% in 2005 but had declined to 42.19% in 2025.
“We are working to increase forest coverage back to around 50%,” he told a tree-planting event in Minbu, central Myanmar, on August 19, part of a nationwide reforestation campaign across 13 districts.
Myanmar has announced a five-year plan to expand tree planting through 2030, which it says will help curb environmental degradation and mitigate the impact of climate change.
Minbu was ranked among the world’s 15 hottest cities last year, highlighting the region’s vulnerability to extreme heat. At Tuesday’s event, officials and residents planted about 1,000 saplings of six species, including teak, tamarind and mahogany.
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Demoso, August 19, 2025 — The Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) has fully regained control of Demoso Town in Kayah State on August 19, after it had been temporarily under the control of KNPP, KNDF, and PDF insurgents, according to an official statement released by the government’s Information Team.
During the 16-day military operation to retake Demoso, 23 clashes of varying scale broke out between Tatmadaw forces and insurgents. The operation resulted in the recovery of six enemy bodies and five assorted weapons, while some security personnel were reported killed or injured, the statement said.
According to the report, the insurgents had infiltrated and occupied areas in Demoso Township since November 2023, disguising themselves as local villagers.
The Tatmadaw further stated that, following the recapture, necessary security and clearance operations are continuing in Demoso Town.
Military columns have also cleared the roads linking Loikaw and Demoso, with the aim of reopening the main Loikaw–Demoso highway in the near future, the announcement added.
The Demoso offensive was part of the “Yan Naing Min” military operation, under which the Tatmadaw has conducted clearance campaigns against insurgent-controlled towns, villages, and transport routes across southern Shan State and Kayah State.
As part of this broader campaign, the Tatmadaw recaptured Hsihseng on May 15, 2024, reopened the Hopong–Hsihseng–Loikaw road on May 29, 2024, regained control of Mobye on July 6, 2025, reopened the Pinlaung– Hsawngpyaung- Pekon–Mobye–Loikaw road on July 11, 2025, and secured the entire eastern part of Pekon Lake on July 31, 2025, according to the statement.
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August 18, 2025, Nay Pyi Taw- Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of the State Security and Peace Council (SSPC), has emphasized the need to ensure that Myanmar’s upcoming elections and parliament are conducted in a dignified and credible manner.
Speaking at a meeting in Magway on Monday with regional officials and representatives from micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), the SSPC Chairman stressed that all eligible voters must be able to cast their ballots. He added that the government would facilitate this process to guarantee inclusivity.
To broaden representation, he explained that the upcoming elections will use different voting systems: the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) system for the Pyithu Hluttaw (House of Representatives) and a Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) system for the Amyotha Hluttaw (House of Nationalities) and the regional/state parliaments. This, he said, would ensure that ethnic groups and various social classes are more widely represented in parliament.
The Senior General also underlined that the international community has expressed support for Myanmar’s elections, which are intended to be free, fair, and transparent. To this end, Myanmar Electronic Voting Machines (MEVMs) will be used to help prevent irregularities.
The Union Election Commission announced earlier on Monday that the first phase of the multi-party general election will begin on December 28, 2025. Further dates for subsequent phases will be announced later.
The Senior General held discussions with local residents and business owners who attended, focusing on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), agriculture and livestock businesses, as well as education and regional development matters.
He was accompanied by Union ministers, senior military officials, and Magway Region Chief Minister U Tint Lwin, along with Commission Secretary and Joint Secretary-General General Ye Win Oo.
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Myanmar to Hold General Elections Starting December 28, 2025
August 18, 2025 ,Nay Pyi Taw— Myanmar will begin its multiparty democratic general elections on Sunday, December 28, 2025, according to an announcement by the Union Election Commission (UEC) on Monday.
The UEC stated that the December 28 vote will mark Phase One of the general elections, with additional phases to be scheduled and announced later.
This announcement follows remarks by the State Security and Peace Commission Chairman, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who recently said that Myanmar’s general elections would be held in the last week of December 2025 and the first week of January 2026.
The UEC reaffirmed that the elections will be organized in multiple phases within this timeframe.
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NAYPYITAW (Aug. 16) — More than 600 ethnic Bengalis were massacred in Rakhine State’s Buthidaung Township by Arakan Army (AA) insurgents, a senior government spokesperson said on Friday.
Brigadier General Zaw Min Htun, spokesperson for Myanmar’s National Defence and Security Council (NDSC), said the massacre took place in Htan Shauk Khan village on the eastern bank of the Mayu River. He said women and children were among the victims.
The incident occurred after AA forces seized the Regional Military Command Headquarters in early May 2024, leaving no Tatmadaw or police security presence in the area. “These events show the AA deliberately carried out mass killings and arson against Bengalis,” Zaw Min Htun said.
The AA began a sweeping offensive across Rakhine in November 2023, attacking security posts and towns. As fighting spread, Bengali communities held peaceful rallies calling for peace and rejecting the insurgents. Authorities said the AA targeted them in retaliation.
After Tatmadaw troops withdrew from Buthidaung on May 14, 2024, AA fighters entered the town, threatening residents and burning homes in seven wards. On May 17, drones bombed a school sheltering displaced Bengalis, wounding nearly 200 people, Zaw Min Htun said.
He added that on 5 August 2024, AA units also dropped bombs on displaced Bengalis waiting by boats on the Nat River near Maungdaw, massacring more than 200.
The government says it is providing humanitarian aid to displaced Bengalis in Sittwe and Yangon, while eyewitness accounts from survivors have described atrocities by the AA.
Ethnic tensions between Rakhine and Bengali communities have long fueled violence in the region. Zaw Min Htun said the latest incidents underline a deliberate strategy by the AA to massacre civilians.
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