YANGON: Myanmar on Thursday freed 155 Chinese nationals, who were last week given long jail terms for illegal logging, as a “goodwill” gesture, authorities said, following intense lobbying from China.

The announcement comes after the sentences sharply raised tensions between the once closely-bonded neighbors whose ties have cooled since Myanmar began emerging from decades of military rule in 2011.

The release forms part of a mass prisoner amnesty announced Thursday with authorities ordering the nationwide release of 6,966 “well disciplined” detainees, including 210 foreigners, according to a statement on the Ministry of Information website.

It said the move hoped to promote “goodwill and is aimed at keeping a friendly relationship between countries.”

The release included all of the 155 Chinese nationals handed jail sentences for illegal logging in northern Myanmar near their shared border, Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement.