New Delhi: The leader of Myanmar’s military government is scheduled to visit China this week for several regional meetings, as reported by state-run media. This trip highlights China’s role as Myanmar’s key international ally, raising concerns among the opposition.
It will be the first time since the seizure of power by the military in Myanmar in Feb, 2021, from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has travelled to the neighboring country.
The visit comes after many battlefield losses for Myanmar’s army over the past year, particularly near the Chinese border. Both Myanmar’s ruling generals and the Chinese government have expressed concern as pro-democracy guerrillas and armed ethnic minority groups, often collaborating, have gained the upper hand in their struggle against military rule.
However, Beijing is now worried about instability that could jeopardize its strategic and business interests in Myanmar. The Chinese government has maintained strong ties with Myanmar’s ruling military, which is ostracized and sanctioned by many Western countries due to the army’s takeover and serious human rights violations.
State-run MRTV television said that Min Aung Hlaing will visit the Chinese city of Kunming on Wednesday and Thursday to attend three summits: The Greater Mekong Subregion, the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy and the Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Cooperation. Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province, is about 400 km (250 miles) from the border with Myanmar.
The report said he will also have “meetings with Chinese government officials to discuss ways to enhance goodwill, economic and various sectors between the two governments and the people”.
China, along with Russia, is a major arms supplier to Myanmar’s military in its war against resistance forces. Beijing is also Myanmar’s biggest trading partner and has invested billions of dollars in its mines, oil and gas pipelines and other infrastructure.
Russia is the only other foreign destination to which Min Aung Hlaing is known to have travelled since taking power, aside from his attendance at an April 2021 summit meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. His government’s unwillingness to cooperate in efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution of his country’s conflict led to him and other top Myanmar government officials being disinvited from ASEAN summits since then.
Myanmar’s pro-democracy opposition has expressed concern about China welcoming a visit by Min Aung Hlaing.
Kyaw Zaw, a spokesperson for the opposition National Unity Government, said in a recorded video posted on Facebook last week, before the official announcement of the trip, that he was deeply concerned about China’s invitation to Min Aung Hlaing and urged the Chinese government to review its action.
“Myanmar’s people want stability, peace and economic growth. It is Min Aung Hlaing and his group who are destroying these things,” Kyaw Zaw said. “I am concerned that it will unintentionally incite a misunderstanding of the Chinese government among Myanmar’s public.” The shadow National Unity Government was established by elected lawmakers barred from taking their seats in 2021 and is closely linked to Suu Kyi’s former ruling National League for Democracy party, which had friendly relations with Beijing. Although China is scorned by many for backing the army, the shadow government tries to avoid antagonizing Beijing too much, recognising the influence it has in the region.
Myanmar’s army has been on the defensive since late last year when ethnic armed organisations dealt it major defeats in the country’s northeast.
The offensive by the “Three Brotherhood Alliance,” comprising the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Arakan Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, was able to quickly capture towns and overrun military bases and command centres and strategic cities along the Chinese border in northeastern Shan state. It was widely seen at the time as having Beijing’s tacit support to help stamp out rampant organised crime activities in the area controlled by ethnic Chinese.
Beijing helped broker a cease-fire in January, but that fell apart in June when the ethnic rebel forces launched new attacks.
China was displeased with the continuing warfare, shutting down border crossings, cutting electricity to Myanmar towns and taking other measures to discourage the fighting.
(with PTI inputs)
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