China and Myanmar are friendly neighbors linked by common mountains and rivers and the two peoples enjoy long-standing friendship, towards which the Myanmar people affectionately call the Chinese people "Pauk-Phaw" (meaning full brothers). There are many similar or even same ethnic races along the border areas, like Chinese Dai Nationality with its counterpart of Myanmar Shan Nationality, and Chinese Jingpo Nationality with Myanmar Kachin Nationality. Both countries have Miao, Yao, Yi, Wa, Hani, Lisu nationalities, who share same origins, speak same languages, and wear same style of clothes, living across the borders and have intermarriages.

The friendly exchanges between China and Myanmar could be traced back to Han Dynasty (BC206-AD220). Till Tang Dynasty (AD618-AD907), the exchanges and contacts were even closer. According to historical materials, the prince of Myanmar (by that time called the Pyu Country) ever led 35 artists to China for a goodwill visit. The then famous poets as Bai Juyi (AD772-AD846) and Yuan Zhen (AD779-AD831) both wrote poems of "the music of Pyu" to eulogize the splendid shows. In Ming (AD1368---AD1644) and Qing (AD1616-AD1911) Dynasties, the court set up a translation organization of "Myanmar Office", inviting Myanmar scholars to teach and translate the language. Till modern times, the two countries extended sympathy and support to each other on fighting against foreign invasions for seeking liberation and independence. In 1907, during his stay in Japan, the forefather of independence against British Colonialism U Oako Tama met with Dr. Sun Yat Sen. The two revolutionaries exchanged views towards each country's real independence and liberation and commonly regard that China and Myanmar are brothers, only with the two getting united could victory be achieved on anti-invasion struggle. During World War II, the 1,146 kilometer-long- "Dian (Yunnan) Myanmar Road" has served as a strategic path of international aids transporting to China, which strongly backed up the Chinese people on their War of Resistance against Japan.

The founding of the People's Republic of China stands for a new phase of the traditional friendly relationship between China and Myanmar. Only two monthly after that, Myanmar became one of the earliest non-socialistic countries to announce her recognition towards the new Chinese government. On 8 June 1950, the two countries formally established diplomatic relationship and mutually sent Ambassadors. In 1954, China and Myanmar together with India jointly advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. In the 1960s, the two countries smoothly settled the issue of demarcation of boundary left behind by history in the spirit of mutual respect, understanding and friendly consultation, which set a good example on solving border problems.

For long there has been the tradition of maintaining frequent exchange of visits between leaders of China and Myanmar. The first generation of leaders in China including Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Chen Yi and Deng Xiaoping all visited Myanmar, and former Myanmar leaders as U No and U Ne Win also visited China for many times. Of all these visits, a much-told story is about the late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai who had made nine visits to Myanmar, while former Myanmar leader U Ne Win who also went to China for 12 occasions. The late Chinese Marshal Chen Yi had composed more than a dozen poets describing his visits to Myanmar (by that time called Burma), among which "To Burma Friends" presented a vivid portrayal of the Sino-Myanmar Pauk-Phaw friendship. In the poet the sentences of "At the top of a river lies the home of me/ At the other end, that of thee/ Infinite feeling we harbor for each other/As from the same river we fetch drinking water" are still widely recited by the peoples of the two countries.