Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Chen Hai recently visited former dictator Than Shwe, his former deputy Maung Aye, and former President General Thein Sein in Naypyitaw, the Chinese Embassy said in a statement posted on WeChat on Friday.
The statement did not say the dates of the visits, but they were likely this week because they were described as being occasioned by Myanmar’s traditional Thingyan New Year Festival, which will begin late next week.
During the meetings, Chen said that China continues to support peace and stability, reconciliation, economic development and improved livelihoods for the people of Myanmar, the statement said.
Despite being formally out of politics since he retired in early 2011, Than Shwe is frequently visited by Chinese officials. This has been especially true over the last year as the junta struggled to quell mounting anti-regime armed resistance nationwide.
Director-General Peng Xiubin of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China met Than Shwe and former president Thein Sein during his four-day visit to Myanmar from April 16-19 last year.
In May 2023, Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang also met Than Shwe.
The meetings prompted speculation among Myanmar analysts that Beijing was approaching the former dictator for solutions in Myanmar, where China has strategic investments.
Officials from the Chinese Embassy in Yangon also met Daw Than Than Nu, the daughter of Myanmar’s first prime minister U Nu, and former China-Myanmar Friendship Association chair U Sein Win Aung, the statement said.
