A senior Chinese diplomat has urged Myanmar to "cooperate" in maintaining stability on their shared border, Beijing said Monday, after armed groups fighting the junta seized a strategic trading outpost.
Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong visited Myanmar from Friday to Sunday, Beijing said, holding talks with senior junta officials on clashes the UN said have forced 23,000 people from their homes.
"Myanmar is called on to cooperate with China in maintaining stability along the China-Myanmar border," said Nong, according to a readout from China's foreign ministry.
Nong met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Than Shwe and Deputy Foreign Minister Lwin Oo during his visit, Beijing said.
China also urged the junta to "earnestly ensure the safety of the lives and property of Chinese border area residents, and take effective measures to strengthen the security of Chinese personnel, institutions and projects in Myanmar", he added.
Recent attacks, launched by an alliance of Myanmar ethnic minority groups in the northeast Shan state, represent the biggest military challenge faced by the junta since it seized power in 2021, analysts have said.
Last week China called for an immediate ceasefire in the region, where a billion-dollar rail route -- part of Beijing's global Belt and Road infrastructure project -- is planned.
The junta on Saturday said the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), an ethnic armed group based in neighbouring Kachin state, had joined the attacks on its forces, promising retaliation.
Local media reported the junta had shelled the remote town of Laiza on the Chinese border, home to the KIA's headquarters.
Myanmar ethnic minorities claim gains in junta offensive
Yangon, Myanmar (AFP) Nov 3, 2023 -
An alliance of Myanmar ethnic minority groups said it made more gains in its offensive against the ruling junta on Friday, with the regime vowing it would hit back at the biggest military challenge it has faced since it seized power.
The development comes as the head of the Russian Navy, a top ally of the junta, arrived in Myanmar on an official visit to oversee the launch of the first joint military exercises between the two countries in recent history, Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Fighting has raged for a week across a wide area of northern Shan state near the China border, forcing more than 23,000 people from their homes, according to the UN.
The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army (AA) say they have captured dozens of outposts and four towns and blocked vital trade routes to China.
TNLA fighters seized an outpost from the military near the town of Namhkam near the China border on Friday, the group told AFP.
The military had called in air and artillery strikes, a TNLA spokesman said.
The MNDAA said on its media channel that its fighters had made gains in battles in the Kokang region, around 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the east.
Russian navy chief Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov arrived in Myanmar on Friday to oversee the joint military drills, meet with top officials and visit warships, Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Moscow is a close ally of the junta, providing arms and diplomatic support since the February 2021 coup.
- Divided town -
A junta spokesman on Thursday dismissed as "propaganda" claims that the alliance had captured several towns in Shan state.
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said the milit
ary "will launch counter-attacks" against the groups, in comments carried by the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Friday.
A resident in Hsenwi, a strategic transport node around 90 kilometres (55 miles) from Chinshwehaw, told AFP that locals were hiding in their homes as clashes raged.
"It's chaos -- neither the military nor the alliance groups are in control of the town," the resident told AFP by phone, requesting anonymity to protect their safety.
"There is fighting every day, with heavy artillery shelling and air strikes as well."
He said an important bridge was down, effectively cutting the town in two, and people from outlying villages were moving in to seek shelter from clashes in the countryside.
"Thousands of people are stuck in town. We still have food to eat by sharing with each other," he said, adding that 10 civilians had been killed and 10 wounded.
Communications with the remote region are patchy and access impossible while fighting rages, so AFP was unable to immediately confirm the casualty toll.
"Those who have knowledge of medicine are helping to treat the wounded -- people dare not to go to the hospital although we heard it's open," the resident said.
Enze Han, an associate professor from the University of Hong Kong, told AFP that with the loss of Chinshwehaw and with other major roads to China blocked "at least currently... bilateral border trade between China (and) Myanmar has probably come to a stop."
Trade amounted to more than $1.8 billion between April and September this year, state media reported in September, a crucial source of revenue for the junta.
- Trapped Thais -
Thailand said it had a plan to evacuate 162 of its citizens from Laukkai, a battle-scarred border town about 35 kilometres (22 miles) from Chinshwehaw, which the ethnic armed groups have hinted will be their next objective.
Fighting has been reported since the weekend around Laukkai, a key centre in a region rife with drugs, gun-running, prostitution and online scam centres.
Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara said the 162 Thais were "safe under the guidance of the Myanmar government" and would be evacuated across the border to China if they wanted to leave the town.
China called on Thursday for an immediate ceasefire in Shan state -- part of a planned billion-dollar rail route in its Belt and Road infrastructure project.
Myanmar's borderlands are home to more than a dozen ethnic armed groups, some of which have fought the military for decades over autonomy and control of lucrative resources.
Some have trained and equipped newer "People's Defence Forces" that have sprung up since the 2021 coup and the military's bloody crackdown on dissent.
The AA, MNDAA and TNLA say the military has suffered dozens killed, wounded and captured since Friday.
The remoteness of the rugged, jungle-clad region -- home to pipelines that supply oil and gas to China -- and patchy communications make it difficult to verify casualty numbers in the fighting.
Artificial Intelligence Analysis
Objectives:
China is urging Myanmar to cooperate with them in maintaining stability along their shared border and protect the lives and property of Chinese people.
Current
State-of-the-Art and Limitations:
China has called for an immediate ceasefire in the region and has held talks with senior junta officials on clashes that have forced 23,000 people from their homes.
Whats New in Approach and Why it Will Succeed:
A recent attack, launched by an alliance of Myanmar ethnic minority groups in the northeast Shan state, represents the biggest military challenge faced by the junta since it seized power in 202
- 1. China has urged the junta to take effective measures to strengthen the security of Chinese personnel, institutions and projects in Myanmar.
Target Audience and Impact:
The target audience is the junta, and the impact if successful would be increased stability in the region, as well as increased protection of the lives and property of Chinese people.
Risks Involved:
The risks involved in pursuing this approach include the possibility that the junta will be unable to effectively protect Chinese personnel, institutions and projects in Myanmar, as well as the risk that the conflict will escalate and lead to more displacement of people in the region.
Cost and
Timeline:
The cost of pursuing this approach is not specified, and the timeline for achieving results is also not specified.
Success Metrics:
The success metrics would include the ability of the junta to maintain stability along the China-Myanmar border, as well as the effectiveness of the measures taken to protect Chinese personnel, institutions and projects in Myanmar.
Score for Ability to Interest DARPA: 6/10
This approach has the potential to be of interest to DARPA, as it could lead to increased stability in the region and increased protection of the lives and property of Chinese people. However, the lack of information regarding the cost and timeline for achieving results means that it is difficult to assess the potential impact of the approach.
