UK's MI6 chief holds China responsible for 'deeply tragic, appaling' situation in Myanmar

As Myanmar grapples with the draconian regime of the military junta, the head of the British Foreign Intelligence Service MI6 said that China is responsible for the “tragic” situation in the Asian nation. The MI6 official Sir Richard Moore called the situation in Myanmar “tragic” and “appaling” during a press briefing in Prague, Sky News reported.

On the fateful morning of 1 February 2021, democratically elected members of the country’s ruling party were thrown out in a military coup that eventually vested power in the military junta. Since the 2021 coup, Myanmar's economy has collapsed with nearly half of the population now living below the poverty line. The country’s elected representatives, especially the oustedState Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, were put under arrest as the autocratic military junta assumed power. 

“It is appealing to see what is happening in that wonderful country,” Sir Richard Moore told Sky News. The Spy chief recalled his visit to the country a few years ago and called the situation “deeply, deeply tragic”. Moore’s remarks came when he was asked if China was responsible for propping up the military junta. “I am afraid China does have a responsibility because they are the foremost supporters of that regime. It is hard to see that it would be able to operate in the way that it currently does if it didn’t receive that support,” he noted. 

China’s growing influence in the county

In May this year, China’s foreign minister Qin Gang paid a visit to Myanmar and met the Junta’s leader Min Aung Hlaing, Sky News reported. Beijing is also providing its neighbour with a new railway line connecting the two nations. China has high stakes in Myanmar since it is the largest trading partner of the country. Beijing buys 27% of all its goods from metals to precious stones and rare earth elements from Myanmar. The energy market is another important sector in Myanmar's economy and China has bought 38% of its gas exports in 2022, as per the report by Sky News. 

But why will China want instability in a country where it is economically invested? The interest of China’s defence sectors can be considered as part of the reason. Chinese companies, especially the ones that are state-owned are also selling significant quantities of arms to Myanmar and to its Junta. According to UN report on China-Myanmar relations, Beijing has sold over £200 million worth of ammunition to Myanmar since the coup. The majority of this was supplied directly to the junta. China’s new train line in the southwestern province of Yunnan, a rural region in Myanmar indicates China’s ambitions in the region.