Demonstrators hide behind barricades during an anti-coup protest in Mandalay, Myanmar, March 15, 2021.
As Chinese factories burn and Chinese workers go into hiding, Beijing is inexorably caught in a political crisis that has paralyzed all of Burma, while protesters accuse it of being in cahoots with the military regime.
Beijing vehemently denies any involvement in the Feb. 1 military coup in Myanmar, but Xi’s regime is facing growing anti-China sentiment in the allied country.
When the Chinese leader visited Myanmar in January 2020, Xi elevated the country to the status of a “community of Destiny” and made Myanmar a close friend in Beijing’s mind.
A year later, the Southeast Asian country was plunged into bloodshed after a coup d’état that overthrew the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Since then, pro-democracy protesters have taken to the streets daily to demonstrate against the coup’s atrocities, while accusing Beijing of hiding behind the military chiefs’ crackdown.
AFP reports that at least 200 demonstrators have lost their lives as the military regime turned its guns on the people. Beijing appears to be caught between supporting the coup regime and siding with the increasingly anti-Chinese Burmese people.
Who does China want on stage? According to political scientist Richard Horsey, “Whoever is in power, as long as it protects China’s interests.”
But the scholar adds, “Beijing doesn’t think the Burmese army can stabilize the situation ….. The more China tries to maintain its relationship with this polity, the more the Burmese population will be sidelined.”
The environment in Burma is increasingly hostile to China. On Sunday, at least 32 Chinese-run factories were burned in Myanmar’s economic capital Yangon, with Chinese official media ‘Global Times’ assessing the damage at around 31 million euros. Beijing authorities have asked Myanmar to immediately protect its expatriates and property.
One by one, Chinese factories in sensitive areas have been closed since Tuesday, with a representative of a textile factory saying that factory workers now face a hostile environment against the Chinese. “All the Chinese workers are hiding inside the factory and only a few police officers are standing on duty,” the person, who declined to be named, told AFP.
Chinese official media issued threatening comments that Beijing might “take harsh measures” if Myanmar authorities failed to stop the chaos.
Meanwhile, calls for a boycott of Chinese goods are growing.
The growing anti-China sentiment in Myanmar could have a negative impact on countries in Southeast Asia, where China has expanded its influence with extensive investments.
According to Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University, “All mass riots against Chinese interests have a lot of spreading power and could spread to Cambodia, Laos and other places.”
Anti-China banners were everywhere on the streets of Burma during the march, and online, there were calls to boycott Chinese goods, ranging from boycotting huawei phones to removing the Jitterbug App.
According to one protester, who spoke on condition of anonymity, “China is standing behind the Burmese army, and that is the main reason for the chaos in our country.”
Thitinan argues that in addition to protecting its own economic interests, China seeks to establish legitimacy in the international community and therefore “cannot close its eyes to a dictator at its own doorstep.”
Prior to the coup, Beijing enjoyed a rare degree of influence in Myanmar, and until now refused to consider the subversion of the democratically elected government by Burmese soldiers a “coup.
China is a major investor in Burma, providing major armaments to the Burmese army while privately maintaining close ties with ethnic militia forces located along the China-Burma border.
Officially, Beijing has traditionally claimed to oppose interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and it has called on all sides to find ways to cool tensions in Myanmar.
In a rare move, China finally voted in favor of condemning the Burmese military regime in the UN Security Council on March 11, as Beijing has been opposing a UN resolution of condemnation over Burma’s crackdown on the Rohingya.
According to Soe Myint Aunt, a political scientist at the Center for Independent Studies in Yangon, “China could play the role of a direct or indirect mediator in negotiations aimed at compromise.”
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