The Burmese military holds Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the country’s president in custody on Feb. 1, 2021. Pictured are Burmese police vehicles on guard.
The sudden takeover of power by the Burmese military this week has become the focus of international politics. The Biden administration is debating whether to classify the incident as a “coup” for fear it will anger Beijing and force it to withdraw aid to Myanmar, British media said, citing sources that the change in Myanmar has thrown the White House into “chaos.
The White House is debating whether to characterize the military takeover in Myanmar as a “coup” despite Biden’s threat to impose sanctions on the country on Monday, and the discussions are very “confusing,” the Daily Mail said Tuesday (2), citing sources. “The sources said.
Sources said the White House is concerned that characterizing the “coup” would anger the Chinese Communist Party and force the withdrawal of economic aid.
Senior State Department officials told U.S. media that they are still assessing how to characterize the events in Myanmar.
Under the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act, authorities are required to limit aid to governments that have staged military coups to come to power. However, the Daily Mail reports that the U.S. government has only just lifted sanctions against Burma in recent years, and direct aid to the country is almost nonexistent.
Under Myanmar’s 2008 military-led constitution, the military is still given the role of “guardian of the constitution” after the government transition and has the power to take over the government by force in “emergency” situations. Therefore, it is still uncertain whether the military’s takeover is “unconstitutional”. Some Western countries, while blaming the Burmese military, have avoided using the word “coup”.
If the U.S. characterizes the change in Myanmar as a “coup,” it could again impose economic sanctions on the country, which would harm the interests of the Chinese Communist Party in Myanmar.
The Chinese Communist Party and Myanmar have traditionally enjoyed close relations, maintaining “good” interaction with the civilian government and military of Aung San Suu Kyi, and in January 2020, Xi Jinping and Aung San Suu Kyi agreed on a so-called “China-Myanmar community of Destiny. In addition, Myanmar is an important node in the Communist Party’s “Belt and Road”, and the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, which is supported by Chinese investment, could provide a shortcut to the Indian Ocean and is of great importance to Beijing’s foreign expansion.
Shortly before the Myanmar military’s move, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Myanmar in mid-January and met with President Win Myint, Senior Minister and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, and Defense Force Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing. During his meeting with Min Aung Hlaing, Wang also said that China “supports the Myanmar military in playing its due role in the country’s transformation and development process.
Some analysts believe that the Chinese Communist Party may have authorized or acquiesced in the military takeover of the government, as it may be easier for Beijing to deal with a military government than a democratized one. But others believe Beijing may not be happy with the change in Myanmar, as the political turmoil could jeopardize the “Belt and Road” project and hurt Chinese investment projects in the country.
On Monday, the Burmese military suddenly detained key officials including Aung San Suu Kyi, Win Myint, members of parliament and provincial governors, announcing that the military-backed acting president would take over full power. The military said it would hand over power after the country has implemented a state of emergency for a year before holding a new election.
The military said the reason for taking over the government is that there were as many as 8.6 million cases of election fraud in the previous election, so the military must take action to uphold the constitution.
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