China National Petroleum sent jet coal to Myanmar, and Reuters cited industry sources as saying the supplier was particularly cautious about selling jet fuel because it could be used to bomb planes of ethnic armed groups that support anti-junta protesters, as well as for civilian aircraft. The jet fuel could also raise new questions about the Communist Party’s role in Myanmar. Opponents of the junta accuse the Communist Party of supporting coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, a charge Beijing denies.
According to government import data seen by Reuters, China National Petroleum Corporation International (Singapore) Ltd. sold a shipment of jet coal to Myanmar in April, the first such shipment to arrive since before the country’s military coup in February, Reuters reported today.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), a listed company controlled by China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), respond to a request for comment on the shipment. CNPC International Business Singapore is the trading arm of CNPC in Singapore.
Unpublished import data show that CNPC International used the tanker MT Yu Dong to ship 13,300 tons of jet coal and 4,000 tons of gasoline, which was unloaded at the port of Dilawar, Myanmar, on April 15.
Western countries such as the U.K. and the U.S. have condemned the massacre of hundreds of civilians by the Burmese military government and have imposed limited sanctions, but there are no international measures in place to declare the shipment of petroleum products illegal. In its April statement, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN/ASEAN) called on all sides to stop the violence and hold a dialogue, but did not call for sanctions. Myanmar is also an ASEAN member.
According to the report, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has not condemned the Burmese military government as strongly, only expressing a desire to see stability in the neighboring country, which has led some opponents of the junta to accuse the CCP of supporting the Burmese military. Data from the Singapore Enterprise Development Board confirmed a mid-April shipment of aviation gas turbine engine fuel to Myanmar. The fuel is used in commercial and military aircraft, though it may need to be blended according to grade.
Reuters has seen no evidence of the fuel being used in military aircraft. A spokesman for the Burmese military government did not respond to a call for comment.
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