Myanmar’s military head of government in first visit to China’s ally since coup

Myanmar’s army chief will attend three summits in Kunming, China, as the conflict near the border with China intensifies.

The head of Myanmar’s military government has begun his first visit to China since taking power in 2021.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing left on Tuesday morning, according to state broadcaster MRTV. The visit will involve several regional meetings in a country considered Naypyidaw’s most important international ally.

Min Aung Hlaing led a coup in February 2021 that seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party.

However, his government has suffered recent setbacks on the battlefield as rebel fighters and armed ethnic minority groups battle military rule, particularly in areas near the border with China.

China is a major ally and arms supplier to the military government, but analysts say Beijing also maintains ties to ethnic armed groups that hold territory along its border.

Beijing is on the brink of instability that threatens its strategic and business interests.

Relations between Beijing and Naypyidaw have also been tested by the military government’s failure to crack down on online scam compounds within Myanmar’s borders targeting Chinese citizens.

“Unity and Cooperation”

A Myanmar government statement said Min Aung Hlaing “will meet and discuss with government officials of the People’s Republic of China about the friendship between the governments and people of the two countries, to develop and strengthen economic and multi-sectoral cooperation.”

China is a major arms supplier and also Myanmar’s largest trading partner. It has invested billions of dollars in its mines, oil and gas pipelines and other infrastructure.

However, as Myanmar’s leader embarks on his first trip to the country, he has visited Russia, another key ally, several times since the coup, including meeting President Vladimir Putin in 2022.

Myanmar’s ruling military is shunned and sanctioned by many Western nations for the coup and gross human rights abuses.

The army chief is due to visit the southwestern city of Kunming on Wednesday to attend a two-day summit of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) – a group that includes China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.

A spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Min Aung Hlaing would attend, saying: “Against the backdrop of a weakened global recovery and geopolitical turmoil, the need to strengthen unity and cooperation and focus on development and prosperity becomes bigger and bigger. prominent.”