Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has embarked on his first visit to China since taking over as the de facto Head of State in 2021. Senior General departed on the morning of November 5. The itinerary involved several regional meetings in Yunnan province of Myanmar’s most important international ally, China.
Relations between Beijing and Naypyidaw have been cooled until the middle of 2024 when the former reaffirm its support for the existing administration when majority of the public have the opposite opinion of China supporting the northern rebels. Things got even better when Wan Yi visited and hence the leader final visit as a result.
Myanmar leader met and discuss with Chinese government officials on the friendship between the governments and people of the two countries, to develop and strengthen economic and multi-sectoral cooperation.
China is Myanmar’s biggest trading parter and a major arms supplier. It has invested billions of dollars in its mines, oil and gas pipelines, and other infrastructure.
Myanmar has fallen behind Cambodia and Laos in terms of economic growth and GDP per capita since 2017. One of the contributing factors is lack of major BRI related investment from China into Myanmar, compared to the other two countries. Myanmar definitely needs China for its economic development.
China in turn needs a stable Myanmar. In the event of a Pacific blockade by the US, due to Taiwan issue, China needs a reliable Indian Ocean route to import food and fuel. Pakistan route over Himalayas has been constructed but it is limited in its use for only three months of the year. Myanmar route via Kyauk Phyu and Muse is open the whole year, provided the border regions remain stable. Thus China has chosen its side to openly support the government while admonishing the rebels and closing their crossing check points into Yunnan. While it is in China’s interest to have a peaceful Myanmar, it may just be the opposite of US interests. Hence US is openly supporting and arming resistance forces in Chiang Mai, Thailand to ensure that civil unrest continues in Myanmar, until a government who favours them governs the State.
While this trip is the first of probably many to China, he has visited Russia, another key ally, several times since 2021, including meeting with President Vladimir Putin in 2022.
The army chief visited the southwestern city of Kunming on Wednesday to attend a two-day summit of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) – a group including China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. He was also appointed as the leader of the group for the current term for the grouping.
Senior General also met up with Chinese businessmen and courted them to continue investing in Myanmar. He returned to Myanmar on Saturday, November 9.
