Although China has repeatedly denied assisting the Burmese military in staging the February coup, many Burmese civil voices have identified the coup as being backed by China behind the scenes. A recent report by a Burmese citizens’ group revealed that five companies, including China North Industries Corporation and China Aviation Industry Corporation, have been selling weapons to the Burmese military government for a long Time, and a source familiar with the political and military situation in Burma said the Chinese Communist Party would do anything to prevent Burma from falling into the arms of the United States.
In a recent report, the Burmese civil society organization For Justice in Burma revealed that 16 foreign companies supply conventional arms and related materiel to the Burmese Defense Force, with China leading the way with five companies, such as China North Industries Corporation, China Aviation Industry Corporation, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and China National Aviation Technology Import and Export Corporation. Ltd.; followed by India, Israel, Russia and Singapore, who each have two companies.
“A spokesman for Justice for Burma told the station on Wednesday that China North Industries sold arms to the Burmese military, which was used by the Burmese military against its citizens, and that the company operated two copper mines in the region, such as the Lebetang copper mine, evicting the indigenous population and polluting the environment.
Burma’s pro-US policy will endanger China’s national security
In response, Zhang Shengqi, president of the Yunnan-Myanmar Assistance Association, said in an interview with Radio Free Asia on Thursday that Chinese companies have been selling weapons to Burma for a long time, and it is no longer a secret in the region. It is not a secret that China supplies arms to the Burmese government army,” he said. The Burmese military is a military ally of southern China. The Chinese government has shifted its security defenses, a decade ago, from the northern generation of Yunnan and Burma to those south of Burma. The entirety of Burma is considered within China’s security defenses. Burma’s stability directly affects China’s interests and national security, and if Burma is not pro-China and chooses to be pro-U.S., Burma will once again be plunged into an endless civil war.”
Several years earlier, when local armed forces clashed with government forces in northern Burma, local anti-government forces had already rumored that the Chinese Communist Party was providing weapons and logistical supplies to both sides, and that Burmese anti-government forces could enter the area around the Chinese border town of Nanxiao with guns to escape from government forces. While Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, has been in power, the Chinese Communist Party has continued to supply Burma with low-cost weapons.
In recent years, one of China’s projects in Burma, the $1.3 billion Kyaukpyu deep-water port project, will be China’s gateway to the Indian Ocean when completed. In addition, the $8.9 billion Mandalay High Speed Rail project between China and Myanmar will connect northern Myanmar to southwestern China, allowing China to deliver energy and supplies in the future without relying entirely on the Malacca Strait.
Myanmar Defense Force Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing (C) and Chinese Communist Party Foreign Minister Wang Yi are shown during a meeting at the military headquarters in Nay Pyi Taw, April 6, 2016.
China Invests in Myanmar Military Port to Preserve Energy Lifeline
Zhang Shengqi said China has huge economic and strategic interests in Burma, and the geopolitics predetermines a special relationship between the two countries: “China has invested in a military port in the Bay of Bengal in Burma and the China-Myanmar oil pipeline, that is the lifeline of energy for the Chinese military. China must support Burma to maintain stability in order to protect its military investment and presence in Burma. So I can responsibly say that the Burmese people are running out of options. Don’t imagine that the U.S. will send troops to Burma, the U.S. is not likely to go to war with China over Burma.”
The academic commander told the station that the Burmese military government receives weapons and economic support from China, which invariably creates dependence and leads to an extraordinary relationship: “Burma is dependent on China, including information technology and personnel. In addition, Burma is China’s largest neighbor in Southeast Asia. Myanmar’s influence on China’s southern border security and geopolitical factors are something that Beijing has to take into account. So Beijing has to do everything possible to bring in various forces within Burma.”
Mr. Wang, a Chinese border citizen living on the China-Myanmar border, told the station that he also heard from his Burmese friends that Burmese government forces fired on protesters, and that the situation in the China-Myanmar border area is calm at the moment, despite the chaotic situation inside Burma: “It is said that there is shooting, but I don’t know whether it is rubber bullets or live bullets, and the bullet head says it is similar to the kind of lead bullets used in air guns, that is, high-pressure air guns. Sealing the network is also possible, this technology China’s strongest.”
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