The Reuters news agency reported on Thursday that a review of import data from the Burmese government revealed that the Singapore branch of PetroChina International sold a shipment of jet fuel to Myanmar in April, the first such shipment since the country’s military staged a coup in February.
Reuters reported that the import data, which has not been released to the public, showed that CNPC International unloaded 13,300 tons of jet fuel and 4,000 tons of gasoline at Myanmar’s Thilawa port on April 15. Reuters reported that the fuel was delivered by a tanker called MT Yu Dong.
Our search shows that the tanker is registered in Hong Kong, with director Ye Xiaoqing (mainland pinyin), whose declared place of residence is Taizhou, Zhejiang province, mainland China. Online data shows that it was still in the port of Dilawar in Myanmar on May 15 and returned to Singapore by May 19.
The report cited industry sources as saying that suppliers are generally very wary of selling jet fuel because it can be used in bombers to bomb protesters as well as in civilian aircraft. The shipment may once again raise questions about China’s role in Myanmar’s military coup, as anti-junta protesters have long questioned China’s backing of Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry, CNPC and a spokesman for the Burmese military government have not yet responded to Reuters’ inquiries.
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