Beijing has urged all warring parties in Myanmar to halt hostilities and begin peace talks after escalating clashes saw the military regime lose more territory including another major border town last week.
The message came as Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian addressed inquiries on recent developments in Myanmar, including the fall of Myawaddy, at a press briefing on Tuesday.
Asked by a Reuters reporter whether Beijing would be more open to engaging with resistance groups that are gaining ground in Myanmar, the spokesman said:
“China calls on all parties to stop the fighting, resolve disputes through dialogue and consultation and in peaceful means, and avoid any escalation of the situation.”
On Wednesday, China’s state broadcaster CCTV announced the Chinese military would hold air defense and live-fire drills near its border with Myanmar from Wednesday. These will be the second round of such exercises this month as fighting between Myanmar’s junta and resistance forces intensifies.
The announcement said China’s troops would resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, border stability and the safety of people’s lives and property.
Three years after the coup against a democratically elected government in 2021, the junta is struggling with a nationwide armed resistance comprising established ethnic armies and allied anti-regime forces. It has suffered a series of humiliating battlefield defeats across the country since the resistance launched a coordinated offensive dubbed Operation 1027 last October.
The junta is now facing its most serious threat after losing control of strategic border regions adjacent to India, China and Bangladesh. The latest blow came when it lost Myawaddy, a major border trading hub on the Thai border, to ethnic Karen armed groups and their resistance allies.
China, Myanmar’s huge neighbor to the north, is among the country’s major investors and one of the main suppliers of its military. Beijing declined to condemn the 2021 military takeover and has stood in solidarity with the junta at the United Nations.
China also intervened after the junta suffered major losses to the ethnic Brotherhood Alliance in northern Shan State late last year. Beijing, which wields some influence over the alliance, brokered a ceasefire between the two sides in January at the request of the junta.
While western democracies have shunned the junta, Beijing has been eager to engage with the regime, sending senior officials ranging from special envoys to the foreign minister for talks on implementing Chinese mega projects in Myanmar, trade, internal stability, eradication of online scam centers on the border, and political developments.
