Head of Myanmar's military government to visit close ally China

BANGKOK -- The caput of Myanmar's subject authorities will salary an charismatic sojourn this week to China, nan embattled Southeast Asian nation’s astir important world ally, for respective location meetings, state-run media reported connected Monday, amid interest by nan opposition.

It will beryllium nan first clip Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has traveled to nan neighboring state since his service seized powerfulness successful February 2021 from nan elected authorities of Aung San Suu Kyi.

The sojourn comes arsenic Myanmar’s service has suffered unprecedented battlefield defeats complete nan past year, particularly successful areas adjacent nan Chinese border. Both Myanmar’s ruling generals and China’s authorities person shown interest arsenic pro-democracy guerrillas and equipped taste number groups, sometimes moving manus successful hand, person taken nan inaugural successful their conflict against subject rule.

But Beijing is now concerned astir instability that threatens its strategical and business interests successful Myanmar. China’s authorities has maintained bully moving relations pinch Myanmar’s ruling military, which is shunned and sanctioned by galore Western nations for nan service takeover and for awesome quality authorities violations.

State-run MRTV tv said that Min Aung Hlaing will sojourn nan Chinese metropolis of Kunming connected Wednesday and Thursday to be 3 summits: The Greater Mekong Subregion, nan Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy and nan Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Cooperation. Kunming, nan superior of China’s Yunnan province, is astir 400 kilometers (250 miles) from nan separator pinch Myanmar.

The study said he will besides person “meetings pinch Chinese authorities officials to talk ways to heighten goodwill, economical and various sectors betwixt nan 2 governments and nan people.”

China, on pinch Russia, is simply a awesome arms supplier to Myanmar’s subject successful its warfare against guidance forces. Beijing is besides Myanmar’s biggest trading partner and has invested billions of dollars successful its mines, lipid and state pipelines and different infrastructure.

Russia is nan only different overseas destination to which Min Aung Hlaing is known to person traveled since taking power, speech from his attendance astatine an April 2021 acme gathering of nan Association of Southeast Asian Nations successful nan Indonesian capital, Jakarta. His government’s unwillingness to cooperate successful efforts to execute a serene solution of his country's conflict led to him and different apical Myanmar authorities officials being disinvited from ASEAN summits since then.

Myanmar’s pro-democracy guidance has expressed interest astir China welcoming a sojourn by Min Aung Hlaing.

Kyaw Zaw, a spokesperson for nan guidance National Unity Government, said successful a recorded video posted connected Facebook past week, earlier nan charismatic announcement of nan trip, that he was profoundly concerned astir China’s invitation to Min Aung Hlaing and urged nan Chinese authorities to reappraisal its action.

“Myanmar’s group want stability, bid and economical growth. It is Min Aung Hlaing and his group who are destroying these things,” Kyaw Zaw said. “I americium concerned that it will unintentionally incite a misunderstanding of nan Chinese authorities among Myanmar’s public."

The protector National Unity Government was established by elected lawmakers barred from taking their seats successful 2021 and is intimately linked to Suu Kyi’s erstwhile ruling National League for Democracy party, which had friends relations pinch Beijing. Although China is scorned by galore for backing nan army, nan protector authorities tries to debar antagonizing Beijing excessively much, recognizing nan power it has successful nan region.

Myanmar’s service has been connected nan protect since precocious past twelvemonth erstwhile taste equipped organizations dealt it awesome defeats successful nan country’s northeast.

The violative by nan “Three Brotherhood Alliance," comprising nan Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, nan Arakan Army and nan Ta’ang National Liberation Army, was capable to quickly seizure towns and overrun subject bases and bid centers and strategical cities on nan Chinese separator successful northeastern Shan state. It was wide seen astatine nan clip arsenic having Beijing’s tacit support to thief stamp retired rampant organized crime activities successful nan area controlled by taste Chinese.

Beijing helped agent a cease-fire successful January, but that fell isolated successful June erstwhile nan taste rebel forces launched caller attacks.

China was displeased pinch nan continuing warfare, shutting down separator crossings, cutting energy to Myanmar towns and taking different measures to discourage nan fighting.