Beijing/Bangkok, Dec 7 (EFE).- China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged his Burmese counterpart to “achieve domestic reconciliation” and “continue the political transformation process” amid a rebel offensive that has posed the biggest challenge to the Myanmar military junta since it seized power in 2021.
“China hopes that Myanmar will achieve domestic reconciliation as soon as possible under the constitutional framework and continue the political transformation process,” Wang said during a meeting on Wednesday in Beijing with Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Than Swe, according to a readout by the Chinese foreign ministry.
Myanmar is experiencing an escalation in violence since the start of an offensive by guerrillas of ethnic minorities and pro-democratic forces on Oct. 27.
The offensive was initially launched by the Brotherhood Alliance – formed by three powerful northern guerrillas, some with ethnic or military ties to China -, with the aim of fighting the military, which they also accused of being behind the cyber-scams operated by Chinese mafias from Myanmar.
China has launched a crackdown on these scams in Myanmar, where at least 120,000 people are being held in compounds, according to a recent United Nations report.
“Both sides should strengthen law enforcement and security cooperation and completely eradicate…online gambling and electronic fraud,” Wang stressed in the meeting.
Although Beijing increased its influence in Myanmar after the coup and boosted contacts with the junta, the recent rebel offensive – which has expanded across much of the country and has been joined by guerrillas and the pro-democratic People’s Defense Forces (PDF) -, has raised doubts about the good relations between both countries.
Beijing did not condemn the 2021 coup, which ended a decade of democratic transition in Myanmar, and is, along with Russia, one of the main allies and weapons suppliers of the military regime.
The relationship between China and the military junta of Myanmar, a country with which it shares a 2,129 kilometer (1,323 mile) long border, is complex as some guerrillas – including those involved in this operation – have a long history of ethnic, economic and military ties with the world’s second largest economy. EFE
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