China’s President Xi Jinping, however, made a historic visit to Myanmar in 2020 and hailed a “new era” of relations “based on brotherly and sisterly closeness”. China said on Monday it had "noted" the military coup in Myanmar and hoped that all sides could properly manage their differences under the constitution and uphold stability. Misinformation about Beijing’s involvement in the Feb. 1 coup taps into long-standing anti-Chinese sentiment. On February 1, Myanmar’s newly elected parliament was slated to be sworn in for its coming five-year term. “Myanmar values China’s understanding of the Rakhine issue, which is complicated and delicate,” Suu Kyi said during a trip to China in 2017. The military coup and growing unrest in Myanmar are “absolutely not what China wants to see”, Beijing’s ambassador to the Southeast Asian country said in remarks published Tuesday. As long as Myanmar was moving toward democracy, she said, Beijing would try to forestall it. Myanmar, for its part, aligned with China on Beijing’s priority issues of Tibet, Xinjiang, and Taiwan, and last year threw its support behind China’s implementation of a sweeping national-security law in Hong Kong, meant to snuff out the city’s prodemocracy protests. Beijing was “not informed in advance of the political change in Myanmar,” Hai said, dismissing as “ridiculous” rumours that China was helping the military consolidate its rule by flying in technical personnel and troops. “The PR that it has done to improve its image over the past five years working with the NLD has all gone to waste.” Last Tuesday, the Chinese ambassador to Myanmar appeared to back this position, saying “the current development in Myanmar is absolutely not what China wants to see,” though, as is common with Chinese diplomatic statements, he left room for interpretation. Ambassador Mitchell analyzes the current state of China-Myanmar relations, describes its historical development, and outlines China’s interests within the region after the coup. “It was a horrendous resource grab,” she said. Though China may not have given any explicit support to the military coup, it has only to gain from it. During the January 12 meeting in Myanmar’s capital, Naypyidaw, the senior general – who is said to harbour presidential ambitions – repeated his claims that widespread fraud had occurred in a November election that returned civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) to power. Concerns that Myanmar was turning into a Chinese vassal state – as well as an uprising led by Buddhist monks in 2007 and the dire need for international aid following a devastating cyclone in 2008 – ultimately resulted in the military embarking on a reform programme and handing over power to a quasi-civilian government in 2011. The undercurrents of Sinophobia held at bay as she touted China as an ally have come flooding back with her detention by the military. A relationship decades in the making is now in jeopardy. Protesters in Yangon have in recent days gathered near the imposing red doors of the Chinese embassy in the city, denouncing China for what they say is its support of this month’s military coup in Myanmar. Yet this narrative, although enticingly straightforward in a country where little is, is a dramatic oversimplification that ignores numerous factors: the coup’s destabilizing effects, including on major Chinese-backed projects; the Burmese military’s long-held wariness of China, including the junta leader’s personal distrust; and perhaps most important, the surprisingly friendly relationship that the National League for Democracy, Suu Kyi’s party, had cultivated with Beijing. Demonstrators display placards accusing China for supporting Myanmar's military during a protest against the recent coup outside the Chinese Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar … By: PTI | February 4, 2021 11:17:10 am. These projects, worth billions of dollars, are now likely facing delays as the country roils with protests and civil-disobedience movements meant to disrupt government operations and services, again raising questions as to why Beijing would prefer working with the military. The nearly-daily rallies at the gates of the Chinese mission forced a response from China’s ambassador to the country, Chen Hai, who said on Tuesday that “the current development in Myanmar is absolutely not what China wants to see”. In Myanmar, however, suspicions about China’s intentions have grown since the day of the coup. “So if China is a really good neighbor, now is the time to prove it.”, Additional reporting by Kyaw Ye Lynn in Yangon. Many in Kachin felt that Suu Kyi’s government was “selling out the whole country” to China, Khon Ja, a longtime activist who lives in the area, told me. “This is as far as they can go given their concerns about interference in the affairs of other countries.”. Bridget Welsh, honorary research associate at the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia, said it was still too early to say how China may respond to events in Myanmar. And they did. The Tatmadaw has long accused China of supporting ethnic armed groups in Myanmar’s border areas, some of whom have been fighting the central government for greater autonomy since the time of Myanmar’s independence in 1948. Other countries are expected to impose similar curbs although campaigners want to avoid a return to the punishing sanctions that were enforced following the military’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1988, as well as its refusal to honour the results of an election that the NLD won in 1990. Beijing, along with Moscow, stood by Myanmar at the United Nations, shielding it from the harshest condemnation. However, China blocked a UN Security Council statement condemning the coup. #YoungGeneration of #Myanmar protest in front of #ChineseEmbassy in #Yangon. BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Monday it had "noted" the military coup in Myanmar and hoped that all sides could properly manage their differences under the constitution and uphold stability. Coup a further complication for tricky Myanmar-China ties The coup deposed national leader Aung San Suu Kyi a little over a year after Chinese President Xi Jinping made a show of support to her with the first visit by a head of state from Beijing to Myanmar since 2001 and 33 agreements on a wide range of issues. Disinformation linking Myanmar’s recent coup d’état to Chinese influence has inspired anti-China protests in the capital, Yangon. Demonstrator display placards accusing China of supporting Myanmar’s military during a protest against the military coup outside the Chinese Embassy in Yangon on February 11, 2021 [AP]While China had backed Myanmar’s old military government when it was subject to Western sanctions in the past, and despite protester’s claims to the contrary, analysts said it was “simplistic” to assume that Beijing favoured a return to military rule in Myanmar today. The group’s leader resurfaced five years later in The Global Times, a Chinese state newspaper, sparking speculation that Beijing was providing a haven for him and his troops, who launched renewed attacks against Myanmar shortly after. China has so far stopped short of criticising the coup in Myanmar that threw out a democratically elected government, and has now blocked the UN Security Council from formally condemning it. It was the first visit to Myanmar by a Chinese leader in 19 years. Among those in attendance was Henry Tun, whose firm works extensively in the country’s power sector. China and Russia blocked the UN Safety Council from condemning the Myanmar coup. At the time, Myanmar was one of the world’s most impoverished countries, “and it was obvious that China could do whatever they wanted in the country”, said Mirante. When Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD took power in 2016 – after winning historic multi-party elections the previous year – Beijing found an eager partner. The issue is particularly personal for Min Aung Hlaing, the junta leader and commander in chief of Myanmar’s armed forces, who in 2009 commanded forces along the Chinese border against an ethnic Chinese minority rebel group, driving tens of thousands across the border into China. 0 comment. Cheng kept in contact with Suu Kyi, even after acknowledging and beginning to work with the new military government, providing her husband with Tibetan language books and attending the funeral of her mother. Speculation of China’s endorsement of the Myanmar coup first circulated earlier this month, when state-affiliated media described the takeover as nothing more than a “cabinet reshuffle”. For its part, China “has always considered the Tatmadaw to be incompetent and corrupt”, wrote Enze Han, associate professor of political science at the University of Hong Kong, in a recent article for the East Asia Forum. by Connor Bryant and Edited by Brendan Monroe. Myanmar's newly installed leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing shakes hands with the now detained Aung San Suu Kyi. China’s position appears to have been doubly beneficial to Myanmar, as the U.S. was reportedly reluctant to declare the Rohingya crisis a genocide for fear of driving Myanmar toward China. Su San, a 24-year-old medical student, told me that no one should trust what China says and that the military wouldn’t have dared act without China’s blessing. China said on Monday it had "noted" the military coup in Myanmar and hoped that all sides could properly manage their differences under the constitution and uphold stability. West condemns Myanmar coup, China's response is more muted. “The last thing they want is more instability,” he said. Cheng had spent nearly two decades as China’s most senior Burmese-language interpreter, sitting alongside the likes of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping as they met their Myanmar counterparts. On the day of the power grab, Chinese state media referred to what happened as a “major cabinet reshuffle”, while on February 3, China and Russia blocked the United Nations Security Council from issuing a statement condemning the military. What China has at stake in the Myanmar coup, explained. Trump appointee arrested in connection with Capitol riot: Reports, NY Governor’s aide altered count of nursing home deaths: Reports, Libya’s PM-designate submits cabinet lineup to parliament, Girl’s beheading in India spurs calls for ‘honour killings’ law, Australia appeals after Italy, EU block AstraZeneca vaccines, Kamala Harris tells Netanyahu that US opposes ICC probe of Israel, Myanmar coup leaders tried draining $1bn from US account: Sources, UN alleges war crimes in Ethiopia’s Tigray, urges Eritrea exit, Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. “Beijing tends to view the Myanmar military as ungrateful, rapacious, greedy and a poor business partner,” Han wrote. Protesters gather in front of the Chinese Embassy in Yangon, Myanmar. Photo: AP . China and Myanmar “cannot run away from each other,” she said. The crackdown –  defended by Aung San Suu Kyi and supported by large numbers of the Myanmar public – forced some 730,000 members of the ethnic group into neighbouring Bangladesh and is now the subject of a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. That worried people, even within the military.”. Later, over coffee, Tun told me that in meetings with senior officials and members of the NLD, he was encouraged to pursue deals with Chinese firms, instead of European or American ones. Officials explained that deals done with Western businesses could fall apart if companies were spooked by sanctions, or the threat of them. By David Pratt @foreigncorr1 Foreign Affairs Editor. Tangen said China’s backing for that statement was “shocking”. The tensions, and the opportunities, between Myanmar and China are particularly pronounced in Kachin State, where logging and jade mining of varying degrees of legality are prevalent, and the spoils spirited over the border. A sharp rise in anti-Chinese sentiment in the days since the military’s takeover has made quick work of years of confidence building between Suu Kyi, a once-vaunted prodemocracy icon, and her authoritarian neighbor. Asked whether China was sending equipment and IT specialists to Myanmar, the Chinese foreign ministry says there has been “false information and rumours about China on issues relating to Myanmar”. In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Ambassador Derek Mitchell joins us to discuss the implications of the 2021 Myanmar coup for China-Myanmar relations. “China is also aware that the military does not necessarily serve its economic interests in the long term … If there is a refugee exodus or a rise in conflict, and it affects Chinese business, in terms of the gas pipeline and other Chinese strategic positions, then I don’t think the military would actually be quite as welcome.”. Was China involved in the coup in Myanmar? Geopolitically, “China is the biggest loser from this coup,” Enze Han, an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong who studies China’s relationship with Myanmar, told me. “Myanmar’s military dictatorship is made in China,” read one placard. Myanmar's military coup and declaration of a state of emergency has sparked concern in neighbouring China over metal and mineral supplies amid already high tin, copper, and rare earth prices. Relations hit a low point during the anti-Chinese riots of 1967 – just five years into Myanmar’s previous military rule – with critics accusing the army of stoking the unrest in a bid to deflect attention from acute rice shortages. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin. (The military tossed out the results and kept Suu Kyi under house arrest for some 15 years in total.). The brutality drew fresh criticism from Western countries, some of which imposed travel bans and other targeted sanctions on Min Aung Hlaing. This lack of “moral judgment,” as Sun described it, offered Beijing an economic opening. The more isolated Myanmar becomes, the better for Chinese exploitation. Part of the speculation about Beijing’s alleged backing for the military’s power grab stems from China’s refusal to unequivocally condemn the coup, which took place just weeks after a meeting between China’s top diplomat Wang Yi and Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s commander-in-chief and current head of the military government. The generals understood that “the more isolated they are, the more dependent they will be [on China] and the more influence China will exert over their country,” Yun Sun, the director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, in Washington D.C., told me. Protesters accuse China of backing Myanmar’s generals, but analysts say Beijing does not favour a return to military rule. Only when Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest in 1989 did Cheng cease contact with her, though he visited her party’s headquarters in 1990 to offer congratulations on its electoral victory that year. In March 2018, I sat in the conference room of a luxury hotel in Yangon as a speaker urged the audience—about 80 Western and local businessmen and women concerned about Myanmar’s international reputation and economic climate—to take it upon themselves to bolster the country’s image. This is unlikely to be true. It seems unlikely, but that does not mean Beijing is blameless. China has defended the #MyanmarMilitary before international community. Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Presidential Palace in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, January 18, 2020 [File: Nyein Chan Naing/Pool via Reuters]Einar Tangen, a Beijing-based political analyst, said “the Chinese government liked Aung San Suu Kyi” and saw that her economic and trade policies could turn Myanmar into a “stabilising bulwark” in the Southeast Asian region. It prompted mass protests and international condemnation, with the United States has already imposed targeted sanctions on the generals who led the coup. There are, however, points of agreement: When Myanmar was receiving full-throated criticism from other countries over its treatment of the Rohingya minority in Rakhine State, China backed the military and Suu Kyi’s narrative that the allegations were overblown and the authorities were responding to a terrorist threat (despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary). Joe Biden’s Challenge Was Barack Obama’s Victory, wildly popular and democratically elected, 2009 commanded forces along the Chinese border. And despite China shielding the generals on the global stage – including during the 2007 crackdown – the quasi-civilian government that took power in 2011 embraced Beijing’s foe, Washington, and also cancelled or threatened to renegotiate existing contracts for Chinese investment in Myanmar. Geopolitically, “China is the biggest loser from this coup,” Enze Han, an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong who studies China’s relationship with Myanmar, told me. But for long term strategy for its interests in #Myanmar, China needs to win hearts of people of Myanmar. Cautiously, China began to adapt. “If this is an internal affair, why are you helping the junta?” read another. While not as brazen as other countries, which seconded diplomats to Suu Kyi’s office and had little time for the ruling administration, China invited NLD officials on nationwide tours. But at the same time, she said, Myanmar had to deal with the economic realities of being a poorer, less developed country in the shadow of a rising power. Since the military coup in Myanmar on 1 February 2021, there have been reports and allegations that China approves of or is able to spin the military takeover to its advantage. As satisfying as it might be to point the finger at an omnipotent and scheming superpower, the reality is rather more complicated. Beijing, perhaps sensing that Suu Kyi’s immense popularity would translate into victory at the polls two years later, began courting members of her party. The government at the time signed highly secretive contracts for dozens of projects as part of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, a grand plan of connectivity meant to link China to strategic points via Myanmar. By James Palmer China, which shares a border with Myanmar, is a major investor and trading partner of its southern neighbor. It was only after Min Aung Hlaing’s Beijing visit, Tatmadaw officials have indicated about a possible coup in Myanmar. In the mid-2000s, the military rulers also let Chinese state-owned firms build pipelines spanning the breadth of the country, one of which piped gas from offshore fields in Myanmar’s Andaman Sea straight into China’s southern Yunnan province. Online, amateur sleuths have pored over photos of the protests, looking for Chinese military insignia on uniforms and even fair-skinned soldiers among the armed forces that have been deployed to the streets. When Myanmar’s generals began cautiously opening up the country a decade ago, the move brought a rush of new foreign businesses, eager to move into a long-closed, underdeveloped market, as well as renewed diplomatic ties. “I did not see him as particularly friendly to China.” The suspicion extends beyond just one general: The military complained last year to Chinese President Xi Jinping about China’s financing of rebel groups, a charge that Xi denied.
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