Myanmar's former junta chief kicks off visit to China as civilian president

BEIJING - Myanmar's Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Beijing on Monday for a five-day visit at the invitation of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, China's state media reported, marking his first trip to the world's second-largest economy since being elected president.

Min Aung Hlaing, 69, the former junta chief who was the architect of a 2021 coup that led to civil war in Myanmar and a wave of international sanctions, was elected president by parliament in early April.

His journey from top general to civilian president formalised his hold on power after a coup that ended a decade of tentative democracy and sparked an exodus of foreign investors from what was once one of Asia's most promising frontier markets.

(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 11:17 PM.