The head of Myanmar’s military government is visiting its ally China for the first time since taking power

BANGKOK – The head of Myanmar’s military government on Tuesday began an official visit to China, the embattled Southeast Asian country’s main international ally, for several regional meetings.

It is the first time that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has traveled to the neighboring country since his army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

Myanmar’s military has suffered unprecedented battlefield defeats in the past year, especially in areas 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, sometimes working hand in hand, have taken the initiative in their fight against military rule.

But Beijing is now concerned about instability threatening its strategic and business interests in Myanmar. The Chinese government has maintained good working relations with Myanmar’s ruling military, which is shunned and sanctioned by many Western countries over its military takeover and major human rights abuses.

According to state television MRTV, Min Aung Hlaing took a flight from the capital Naypyitaw on Tuesday morning to begin his visit.

He 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 located about 400 kilometers from the border with Myanmar.

The report said he will also “meet with Chinese government officials to discuss ways to increase goodwill, economics 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 largest 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 Min Aung Hlaing has traveled to since coming to power, apart from his participation in an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in April 2021 in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. His government’s unwillingness to cooperate with efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution of the conflict in his country led to him and other top Myanmar government officials not being invited to ASEAN summits since then.

Myanmar’s pro-democracy opposition has expressed concern over China welcoming a visit by Min Aung Hlaing.

Kyaw Zaw, a spokesman for the opposition National Unity Government, said in a recorded video posted on Facebook before the official announcement of the trip that he was deeply concerned about the Chinese invitation to Min Aung Hlaing and urged the Chinese government to review its actions.

“The people of Myanmar want stability, peace and economic growth. It is Min Aung Hlaing and his group who are destroying these things,” said Kyaw Zaw. “I fear this will inadvertently lead to a misunderstanding about the Chinese government among the Myanmar public.”

The shadow National Unity government was established by elected lawmakers who were barred from taking their seats in 2021 and is closely linked to Suu Kyi’s former ruling National League for Democracy, which had friendly relations with Beijing. Although China is scorned by many for supporting its military, the shadow government is trying not to antagonize Beijing too much, recognizing its influence in the region.

Myanmar’s military has been on the defensive since late last year, when ethnic armed organizations inflicted major defeats on the country’s northeast.

The offensive of the “Three Brotherhood Alliance”, consisting of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Arakan Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, was able to quickly capture cities and military bases, command centers and strategic cities along the Chinese border to be trampled underfoot. in the northeastern Shan State. At the time, it was widely believed to have Beijing’s tacit support to help eradicate rampant organized crime activities in the ethnic Chinese-controlled area.

Beijing helped broker a ceasefire in January, but it fell apart in June when ethnic rebels launched new attacks.

China has been dissatisfied with the ongoing wars, closing border crossings, cutting electricity to Myanmar cities and taking other measures to discourage fighting.