Order on China-Myanmar border shared concern: China Daily editorial

Strengthening border security and maintaining the stability of the border have always been a top priority in the cooperation between China and Myanmar, as it has a huge bearing on the well-being of the people of both countries.

Thus, it came as no surprise that during the meetings between Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing and other senior officials, during Sun's three-day visit to the country that ended on Saturday, the two sides pledged that they will jointly maintain peace and stability across the border, continue to build the China-Myanmar economic corridor to promote mutual economic and social development, and cooperate to combat cross-border crimes such as telecom fraud, and jointly promote regional peace, tranquility, development and prosperity.

A similar message was conveyed when State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong made a video call with Myanmar Union Minister for Home Affairs Yar Pyae on the weekend, during which they vowed to deepen law enforcement to safeguard security and stability in the border areas, particularly by cracking down on telecom and online fraud cases. The stepped-up contacts follow a series of disruptive events including armed conflict near the China-Myanmar border that have posed a threat to people's safety.

In the latest development, five people were injured last week by artillery shells fired during fighting between government and rebel forces that fell on a small town on the Chinese side of the border, prompting the Foreign Ministry to lodge a protest with "the relevant parties", while urging them to "stop fighting and take measures to prevent the recurrence of such vicious incidents".

Such remarks should not fall on deaf ears, because the determination of the Chinese government to safeguard the lives and property of the Chinese people should not be underestimated.

This has been evidenced in the joint operations China and Myanmar have conducted in recent months to crack down on the illegal activities along the border where tens of thousands Chinese people have been trapped and forced by criminal gangs to carry out scams targeting Chinese people via the internet.

More than 31,000 suspected fraudsters had been extradited to China by the end of November, including three group leaders who were on the most-wanted-list of the Chinese public security organs, with the Chinese police issuing a new batch of arrest warrants last month for 10 alleged "ringleaders" of online scam syndicates.

It will likely not be long before order is restored in the border areas as China and Myanmar join hands to combat cross-border crimes and internet scams in their pursuit of a China-Myanmar community with a shared future.