[Yunnan·There is a kind of friend called sister city] Ruili City and Muse City in Myanmar——Infinite love between China and Myanmar

Yunnan Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries 2023-09-01 21:34 Published onYunnan

On the border between China and Myanmar, there is a pair of closely connected cities - Ruili City and Muse City, Myanmar. The history of friendship between the people of the two places and sharing weal and woe has lasted for thousands of years, and the "Paukphaw" friendship has always been the same.On October 2, 2012, the two cities officially established sister cities.Since then, the connectivity between the two sides has been continuously strengthened, trade flow has been significantly improved, financial integration has achieved breakthroughs, good stories of people-to-people bonds have been spread frequently, and the traditional "paukphaw" friendship has become closer and continues to glow with new vitality.

Today, we use the flourishing trade cooperation between the two border cities as a window to feel the deep friendship between the two cities that are connected and working together.

[Business Card of Sister Cities]

Ruili City——

"One Village, Two Countries Well" next to boundary marker No. 71 on the China-Myanmar border in Ruili

Ruili City is located in the southwest of Yunnan, bordering Myanmar on three sides, with a 169.8-kilometer border.The city has a land area of ​​944.75 square kilometers and a total population of more than 200,000. The city has Jiegao Border Trade Zone, Wanding Economic Development Zone, Ruili Border Economic Cooperation Zone, and Dehong Area of ​​China (Yunnan) Pilot Free Trade Zone.This is one of the birthplaces of Dai culture. The ancient Southern Silk Road passed through here and entered Myanmar and India, leading to countries in Asia and Europe.With the implementation of the national “Belt and Road Initiative” and the construction of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, Ruili City is becoming the most dynamic frontier for border development and opening up.
Muse City, Myanmar——

Muse City, Myanmar

Muse City is located in northern Myanmar, on the south bank of the Shweli River, with an area of ​​7,413 square kilometers and a population of more than 400,000."Muse" means "bustling and lively town" in Shan language.The city is a national port city in Myanmar and the largest inland port for Myanmar’s trade with China. It has complete port facilities and smooth access for people and goods. It is the largest distribution center for agricultural products, seafood, minerals, jewelry, etc. in Myanmar.

Infinite love between China and Myanmar

"I live at the head of the river, and you live at the tail of the river. Our love for each other is infinite, and we drink from the same river together..." 46 years ago, a song "For Friends of Myanmar" representing the friendship between China and Myanmar sang to the hearts of China and Myanmar.As the song goes, Ruili City and Muse City are connected by mountains and rivers, intertwined fields, and dependent villages.The people of the two cities have similar ethnic languages, mixed cultures, similar customs, and intermarriage and trade. Frequent personnel exchanges have long integrated the lives of the people of the two cities into one, and also created unlimited possibilities for the development of border trade between the two cities.

Every morning, the two cities have just woken up. As a beautiful landscape on the border, Muse's little "foreign students" come to Ruili to study. Under the same sky and on the same campus, children from China and Myanmar study together. Playing, they are the unique scenery of the "two cities", and they are also the hope for the Paukphaw friendship between China and Myanmar to be passed down from generation to generation.

"Little international students" return to China after school

The establishment of sister cities has opened a new chapter for mutual visits, economic and trade exchanges, and interconnection between the two cities. The vibrant border trade between the two cities is playing an increasingly important role in China-Myanmar border trade.Ruili's trade with Myanmar accounts for 1/4 of China-Myanmar trade and 2/3 of Yunnan-Myanmar trade, while the border trade volume of Muse Port accounts for 75% of the total border trade of Myanmar.Fruits, daily necessities, Chinese medicinal materials, grain, plant seedlings and other commodities are imported and exported, with more than 2,000 categories.The two cities have worked hand in hand to develop the twin border cities into the most open and active trade areas on the China-Myanmar border, and important distribution centers for China-Myanmar import and export commodities.

Every year, the China-Myanmar Border Economic and Trade Fair is held alternately in Ruili and Muse. It has been successfully held for 19 times so far. It has become a regional trade event integrating China-Myanmar border economic and trade negotiations, investment promotion, economic cooperation, cultural exchanges, and open cooperation. Extravaganza.At every border fair, companies and merchants from all over the world gather together to see a dazzling variety of products. Citizens of the two cities will also dress up in costumes to select high-quality products from China, South Asia and Southeast Asia.

The grand occasion of previous border trade fairs

On August 30, 2019, the Dehong Area of ​​the China (Yunnan) Pilot Free Trade Zone was established and settled in Ruili, making this border town the closest free trade area to the Indian Ocean in China.Focusing on the "three crosses" of cross-border e-commerce, cross-border finance, and cross-border production capacity cooperation has created an excellent opportunity for China and Myanmar to improve the level of economic and trade cooperation.

Ruili jewelry trade

Every Spring Festival, Myanmar migrant workers from Muse who work in the Ruili Industrial Park always post New Year’s wishes on the company’s “wishing tree” board.One of them read: "In the new year, I hope everyone is safe and healthy, and I also wish that the Paukphaw friendship between China and Myanmar will last forever."

Using the sister city as a platform, the two cities have become closer and closer to each other in exchanges in various fields such as people's sports, humanities, and people's livelihood.In 2017, the Ruili, China-Muse, Myanmar cross-country marathon was held for the first time.Since then, the unique experience of "running two countries with one horse" has attracted more and more runners from all over the world to gather here and measure the close connection between the two sister cities with their footsteps.

China-Myanmar Ruili-Muse Cross-Country Marathon Race Site

People-to-people exchanges hold the hands of the people of both places. In activities such as the China-Myanmar Border People’s Gala, the Paukphaw Carnival, and the China-Myanmar Fashion and Culture Festival, the applause, laughter, singing, and cheers were moving and not only turned the Sino-Myanmar border into a joyful place The ocean has deepened the millennium-old friendship between the two countries due to their close geographical proximity, close people and cultural ties.

In 2022, a series of activities of "People-to-people relations and mutual understanding" - "Cloud Reunion" site of China-Myanmar border residents

China and Myanmar share a deep Paukphaw friendship, and Ruili sisters sang joyfully together.The two border cities, which share the same vision for the future, will continue to write new chapters as good neighbors, good friends, good partners, and good paukphaws, and work together towards a better tomorrow.

Teenagers from China and Myanmar hold hands and heart-to-heart Winter Games

“One Belt, One Road·Beautiful Dehong”

2019 China (Dehong) Myanmar (Muse) Disabled Sports Exchange Event

On December 11, 2019, the first China-Myanmar Fashion Culture Festival was held

In January 2019, the Ruili Municipal Health Bureau conducted cataract screening on 172 Burmese people with eye diseases.

In November 2019, donated solar street lights to Mangxiu First Society in Myanmar

In October 2019, women and children in Ruili City

The Development Center donated school bags to Muse Wensen Primary School in Myanmar

October 2019, “One Belt, One Road·Colorful Yunnan”

China-Myanmar Ruili-Muse Transnational Twin Cities Cycling Challenge Cycling Team

In October 2020, the Ruili Municipal Government issued a request to the Muse area of ​​Myanmar

Donation ceremony for a set of nucleic acid testing all-in-one machine and testing reagents

China-Myanmar Paukphaw Friendship 24-hour Smart Library

Young readers from China and Myanmar who are reading now

In April 2023, Sister Ruili will attend the 2nd International Duty Free Shopping Festival

In June 2023, participate in the China-Myanmar Youth

Muse teenagers participating in the "Hand in Hand·Heart to Heart" event

In July 2023, "Run Youth" China-Myanmar Youth

Paukphaw football friendly match between Chinese and Myanmar youth players