Rohingya Muslim rafts Myanmar Bangladesh
Rohingya refugees desperate to leave Myanmar paddle a makeshift raft across the Naf River Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters

China's foreign minister has met with Myanmar's leaders during a visit to the country, a day after discussing the Rohingya refugee crisis with Bangladesh's prime minister.

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More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar's Rakhine state for Bangladesh since late August, when the military launched what it called "clearance operations" in response to insurgent attacks. The refugees say soldiers and Buddhist mobs attacked them and burned their villages to force them to flee.

The campaign has drawn widespread outrage from the international community. China has been helping shield Myanmar from the criticism.

On Saturday (18 November), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters in Dhaka, where he met with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, that the Rohingya crisis should be solved bilaterally between Myanmar and Bangladesh, and should not involve outside parties.

Since ethnic violence erupted in Myanmar in late August, thousands of Rohingya cross the border into Bangladesh every week, often travelling for days or even weeks, trekking through forests and over mountains, with many making a hazardous river or sea crossing on the last leg of their epic journey.

Rohingya Muslims