China’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi arrived in Thailand to discuss Myanmar with Laos’ Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith prior to the start of the 9th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Thursday. It takes place in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Friday, Aug. 16.

Wang Yi expressed China’s support for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) efforts to mediate the Myanmar crisis – unfolding since the 2021 military coup – with its Five-Point Consensus, which was signed by regime leader Min Aung Hlaing in April 2021.

The ASEAN Five-Point Consensus includes an immediate end to all violence in Myanmar, dialogue among all parties to the conflict, and the release of all political prisoners. Wang Yi visited Naypyidaw on Wednesday, where he met with regime officials including Min Aung Hlaing.

“China supports ASEAN to enhance communication and contact with Myanmar, explore the docking of ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus and Myanmar’s new five-point roadmap, and help Myanmar maintain domestic stability, achieve political reconciliation, and resume its process of democratic transition,” Chinese state media reported.

Laos is the current chair of ASEAN. Its Special Envoy to Myanmar Alounkeo Kittikhoun visited Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw in May to discuss the delivery of humanitarian aid to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The U.N. states that there are over 3.2 million IDPs due to conflict in Myanmar.

The meeting between the Chinese and Lao foreign ministers comes after a flurry of diplomatic visits, including Special Envoy Deng Xijun, to Naypyidaw over the last week. Beijing has even endorsed Min Aung Hlaing’s plan to hold an election next year.

The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation countries include China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.