Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrapped up a five-day visit to Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar on Sunday, a tour which analysts said underscored Beijing's efforts to deepen political trust, expand practical cooperation and promote regional stability amid rising external uncertainties in Southeast Asia.

Myanmar was the final stop of Wang's tour. He was the first senior foreign official to visit Myanmar after its new government was elected, underscoring the importance Beijing attaches to relations with the country as it enters a new stage of national development, observers said.

Meeting with Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing in Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of Myanmar, on Saturday, Wang said that China's Myanmar policy has been consistent. Min Aung Hlaing told Wang that Myanmar would never allow any act that harms China's interests to take place on its territory.

During talks with Myanmar's Union Minister for Foreign Affairs Tin Maung Swe, Wang called for stronger cooperation in areas such as energy, trade and investment, as well as closer security coordination to safeguard border stability and combat online gambling and telecom fraud.

Du Lan, deputy director of the China Institute of International Studies' Department for Asia-Pacific Studies, said that the visit reflected China's constructive role in Myanmar's peace process and regional stability. She added that the consensus reached on post-earthquake reconstruction and the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor also showed the breadth of bilateral cooperation.

The Myanmar visit was part of a wider regional itinerary in which security, development and subregional cooperation emerged as common themes.

Wang's stop in Thailand on Friday came at the start of the new Thai government's term and sought to build on the momentum of the 50th anniversary of China-Thailand diplomatic ties, as the two countries look to translate their long-standing friendship into more substantive cooperation.

During a meeting with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, Wang expressed China's support for the government's efforts to accelerate economic development.

Wang also held talks on Friday with Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Thailand's deputy prime minister and foreign minister. Wang said that China has always regarded Thailand as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy and expressed hope for improved Thailand-Cambodia relations, adding that China is willing to continue providing a platform for the two sides to rebuild mutual trust.

Wang began the tour in Cambodia, where he attended the first China-Cambodia "2+2" strategic dialogue mechanism between foreign and defense ministers in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, on Wednesday. The two sides reached a six-point consensus, and Wang also met Cambodian leaders during his two-day visit.

Zhou Fangyin, a professor at Sun Yat-sen University's School of International Studies, said that the recent progress made in security-related ministerial mechanisms between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries — including dialogue with Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia — signals a new level of strategic trust.

Zhou said that ASEAN countries had long been more comfortable with economic ties than security cooperation with China, making the latest progress significant beyond any single meeting.

The shift comes as Southeast Asian countries face growing pressure from major-country rivalry and escalating trade protectionism. A 2026 survey released in April by the ASEAN Studies Centre at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute showed that 52 percent of respondents support aligning with China, suggesting a notable shift in regional strategic preferences.

Zhou said that the findings also emphasized the increasing importance of consistency and predictability in China's neighborhood diplomacy.

Reporter: Zhao Jia

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