• Burmese
Monday, July 14, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
29 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Kachin Conflict a Conundrum for China

Patrick Boehler by Patrick Boehler
January 21, 2013
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0 0
A A
Kachin Conflict a Conundrum for China

President Thein Sein met with Chinese special envoy Fu Ying in Rangoon on Saturday to discuss the Kachin conflict. (Photo: The President’s Office website)

3.9k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

HONG KONG—Burma’s President Thein Sein met with Chinese special envoy Fu Ying and a high-ranking Chinese military delegation in Rangoon on Saturday to discuss the ongoing Kachin conflict, which is raging near China’s southwestern border.

The outcome of the talks remain unclear as Chinese authorities have not spelled out their strategy for addressing the ethnic conflict. But there are signs that China is growing increasingly concerned over the unrest, which could spill over into its territory.

Following Saturday’s meeting, the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry released a statement saying that Thein Sein and Fu Ying had “exchanged views on deepening the Sino-Burmese strategic partnership and have agreed to protect peace and stability in the Sino-Burmese border areas.”

RelatedPosts

Myanmar Junta’s ‘Living Fence’ on Thai Border Falls to Karen Resistance

Myanmar Junta’s ‘Living Fence’ on Thai Border Falls to Karen Resistance

July 14, 2025
75
Myanmar Junta Launches Space Agency With Russian Help

Myanmar Junta Launches Space Agency With Russian Help

July 14, 2025
44
TNLA Invites Investment in Ruby and Mineral Towns Amid Myanmar Junta Onslaught

TNLA Invites Investment in Ruby and Mineral Towns Amid Myanmar Junta Onslaught

July 14, 2025
142

“We hope to maintain peace in the border areas, so that the border population can go about their ordinary lives,” Fu told Chinese Central Television. “Both sides agree on this point.”

Thein Sein’s office provided few details on the meeting and only mentioned that the president and Chinese officials discussed “matters related to amity and cooperation between the two countries, assistance to Myanmar and border area stability.”

A ceasefire between the Burmese government and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) broke down in 2011 and fighting escalated last month, when the Burmese army began launching airstrikes on rebel positions using helicopter gunships and jet fighters.

The battles have focused on the mountains around Laiza, a town of about 20,000 residents where another 15,000 displaced villagers are seeking refuge. Kachin rebels have their headquarters in Laiza, which is located on the Burma-China border.

On Dec. 30 and Jan. 17, Burmese artillery shells landed on Chinese soil, prompting an irritated response by China’s foreign ministry, which asked for an “immediate ceasefire” on Jan. 18.

Although the shells caused no damage, Chinese security forces were sent to increase their patrols and surveillance along the border, according to local Chinese reports.

Qi Jianguo, the new Deputy Chief of Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, also met with Thein Sein in Rangoon as part of bilateral strategic security consultations between the two countries’ armed forces.

Following the meeting, he addressed the conflict, telling Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency that he hoped the Burmese government would “adopt effective measures to achieve stability” in Kachin state. But he added that, “China will not interfere in the internal affairs of Myanmar.”

One particular concern for Chinese authorities has been the potential influx of thousands of Kachin refugees, which could occur if the Burmese army captures Laiza town.

In early January, local Chinese authorities reportedly started preparing four refugee shelters in Nabang town, which is separated from Laiza only by a small river that demarcates the border.

A local medical official told China News Service on Sunday that authorities in Yunnan Province’s Yinjiang County set aside 21 medical staff, five ambulances, tents, food and cooking oil to provide assistance for any potential Kachin refugees.

Such preparations are reminiscent of a situation in 2008, when the Burmese military attacked another ethnic group in Burma, the Kokang, and some 30,000 Kokang refugees from northern Shan State fled across the border into China.

Chinese economic interests are also put at risk by the Kachin fighting, as it has several large hydropower projects in the state, while a Chinese an important gas and oil pipeline runs from Burma’s western coast to China, passing just south of the war zone.

The unrest along its southwestern border presents a challenge to China’s foreign policy and Chinese authorities still seem to be in the process of formulating a coherent response. Some Chinese media have recently begun to address this issue.

“How our government should react is a question worth considering, this is also a new kind of test of what role China should play in the world,” Chinese right-wing daily Global Times said in an article on Friday.

The newspaper said China should not become directly involved in the conflict, as it could strain the country’s relations with Burma and put at risk Chinese investments. It warned against siding with the Kachin movement, which gets support from Chinese ethnic Kachin, who are called Jingpo in China and number about 132,000.

However, an opinion survey on the Global Times’ website on Saturday indicated that 53 percent of its readers think that “China should become involved in the ethnic conflict in northern Burma”. Another 63 percent said they believed that the conflict was affecting bilateral relations between Burma and China. The survey has since been removed from the site.

Zhang Huagang, a scholar at Yunnan University in Kunming, said in a reaction that China’s options in dealing with the Kachin conflict were limited. “The visit by Fu Ying and the high-level talks will not be able to change the situation, the fact is that the Burmese army is besieging the KIA,” he said.

Zhang Huagang said China also had to contend with other foreign powers in dealing with the conflict. “The question of security at the Sino-Burmese border areas is no longer solely an issue in Sino-Burmese relations. The West, led by the United States, now also has stakes in it,” he added.

In other areas along Burma’s long border with China meanwhile, ethnic groups are in a precarious ceasefire agreements with the Burmese government, which could be destabilized by the Kachin conflict.

The local administrations of Burma’s Special Regions II, III, IV in Shan State, all bordering China, recently issued a statement, warning that the Burmese offensive against the Kachin could cause a return to more conflict in the border areas.

Among the ethnic Wa, who control Special Region II with their powerful United Wa State Army, concerns over the Kachin conflict are growing, as they fear that the Burmese army will come after their territory next.

These concerns have not gone unnoticed in China. “Once the Burmese control the Kachin, the next target will be the Wa,” a local Wa source told Chinese Shenzhen TV on Sept. 9.

Your Thoughts …
Patrick Boehler

Patrick Boehler

Similar Picks:

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang
Burma

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 28, 2023
98.5k

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army troops are opening roads and pathways through forests for people to flee Kokang’s capital as...

Read moreDetails
Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public
Burma

Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public

by The Irrawaddy
February 7, 2024
89.9k

People’s Defense Force says junta troops told every household in the village to send one member to witness the double...

Read moreDetails
Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
War Against the Junta

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

by The Irrawaddy
November 29, 2023
87.1k

Brotherhood Alliance member says it now has complete control of Kokang’s northernmost section after the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 125...

Read moreDetails
Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks
Burma

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

by The Irrawaddy
December 4, 2023
59k

The junta said deserters would not be punished for minor crimes, highlighting the military’s shortage of troops as resistance offensives...

Read moreDetails
As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue
Burma

As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue

by The Irrawaddy
April 19, 2024
47k

The junta’s No. 2 has not been seen in public since April 3, sparking rumors that he was either gravely...

Read moreDetails
Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow
Burma

Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow

by The Irrawaddy
February 12, 2024
44.8k

Ethnic armed grouping says it will continue Operation 1027 offensive until goal of ousting the junta is achieved. 

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Despite Donor Love-in and Ceasefire Pledge

Despite Donor Love-in and Ceasefire Pledge, Kachin War Continues

Over and Under the Thai-Burma ‘Friendship Bridge’

Over and Under the Thai-Burma ‘Friendship Bridge’

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

5 days ago
1.2k
China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

6 days ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • ‘Las Vegas in Laos’: the Riverside City Awash With Crime

    ‘Las Vegas in Laos’: the Riverside City Awash With Crime

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Chief Thanks Trump for Shutting Down VOA and RFA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • KIA Denies Rumor Chief Under House Arrest in China

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Deploying Conscripts in Major Push to Reclaim Lost Territory

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.