Myanmar's Military Leader Set to Visit Close Ally China

New Delhi: leader of Myanmar's military government is scheduled to visit China this week for several regional meetings, as reported by state-run media. This trip highlights China's role as Myanmar's key international ally, raising concerns among opposition.

It will be first time since seizure of power by military in Myanmar in Feb, 2021, from elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has travelled to neighboring country.

visit comes after many battlefield losses for Myanmar's army over past year, particularly near Chinese border. Both Myanmar's ruling generals and Chinese government have expressed concern as pro-democracy guerrillas and armed ethnic mirity groups, often collaborating, have gained upper hand in ir struggle against military rule.

However, Beijing is w worried about instability that could jeopardize its strategic and business interests in Myanmar. Chinese government has maintained strong ties with Myanmar's ruling military, which is ostracized and sanctioned by many Western countries due to army's takeover and serious human rights violations.

State-run MRTV television said that Min Aung Hlaing will visit Chinese city of Kunming on Wednesday and Thursday to attend three summits: Greater Mekong Subregion, Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Ecomic Cooperation Strategy and Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Cooperation. Kunming, capital of China's Yunnan province, is about 400 km (250 miles) from border with Myanmar.

report said he will also have “meetings with Chinese government officials to discuss ways to enhance goodwill, ecomic and various sectors between two governments and people”.

China, along with Russia, is a major arms supplier to Myanmar's military in its war against resistance forces. Beijing is also Myanmar's biggest trading partner and has invested billions of dollars in its mines, oil and gas pipelines and or infrastructure.

Russia is only or foreign destination to which Min Aung Hlaing is kwn to have travelled since taking power, aside from his attendance at an April 2021 summit meeting of Association of Souast Asian Nations in Indonesian capital, Jakarta. His government's unwillingness to cooperate in efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution of his country's conflict led to him and or top Myanmar government officials being disinvited from ASEAN summits since n.

Myanmar's pro-democracy opposition has expressed concern about China welcoming a visit by Min Aung Hlaing.

Kyaw Zaw, a spokesperson for opposition National Unity Government, said in a recorded video posted on Facebook last week, before official anuncement of trip, that he was deeply concerned about China's invitation to Min Aung Hlaing and urged Chinese government to review its action.

“Myanmar's people want stability, peace and ecomic growth. It is Min Aung Hlaing and his group who are destroying se things,” Kyaw Zaw said. “I am concerned that it will unintentionally incite a misunderstanding of Chinese government among Myanmar's public." shadow National Unity Government was established by elected lawmakers barred from taking ir seats in 2021 and is closely linked to Suu Kyi's former ruling National League for Democracy party, which had friendly relations with Beijing. Although China is scorned by many for backing army, shadow government tries to avoid antagonizing Beijing too much, recognising influence it has in region.

Myanmar's army has been on defensive since late last year when ethnic armed organisations dealt it major defeats in country's rast.

offensive by “Three Brorhood Alliance," comprising Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Arakan Army and Ta'ang National Liberation Army, was able to quickly capture towns and overrun military bases and command centres and strategic cities along Chinese border in rastern Shan state. It was widely seen at time as having Beijing's tacit support to help stamp out rampant organised crime activities in area controlled by ethnic Chinese.

Beijing helped broker a cease-fire in January, but that fell apart in June when ethnic rebel forces launched new attacks.

China was displeased with continuing warfare, shutting down border crossings, cutting electricity to Myanmar towns and taking or measures to discour fighting. 

(with PTI inputs)