BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- China has expressed support for the announcement of Myanmar's ethnic armed groups and the military to have ceasefire and suspend all military actions in northern Myanmar.

"This signifies major progress in Myanmar's peace process," said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying at a press briefing Monday.

Stressing that dialog and consultation is the only right way to solve problems, Hua said achieving peace and reconciliation is the common aspiration of people of all nationalities and is in the fundamental interests of Myanmar.

As a friendly neighbor, China sincerely hopes that all parties in Myanmar will conform to the historical trend and take the opportunity to meet each other halfway so as to realize reconciliation, peace, and development at an early date, said Hua.

China has long played an active and constructive role in promoting dialog and reconciliation among various parties in Myanmar at their request, Hua said.

"We hope to continue to work with Myanmar to maintain the peace and stability in the China-Myanmar border area, and firmly support the advancement of the peace process."

The Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services said on Dec. 21 that it would suspend all military activities in northern Myanmar for over four months until April 30, 2019, to conduct ceasefire talks with other factions in the region.