Irrawaddy-Nov 5
Beijing appears increasingly exasperated with the Min Aung Hlaing regime’s inability to deliver on its promises despite constantly holding out its hands for more money and support.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has renewed Beijing’s call for the Myanmar regime to “steadily advance” key projects under the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), which is designed to give Beijing direct access to Indian Ocean.
Wang made the remarks during a meeting on Tuesday with Myanmar Investment and Foreign Economic Relations Minister Aung Kyaw Hoe, who is in Beijing for the 11th Lancang–Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. A clearly exasperated Wang stressed the need for the two sides to “coordinate” development and security, as many parts of Myanmar are plagued by civil war, making it hard for the China-backed projects to proceed. In turn, Wang promised Chinese support for the rebranded regime’s efforts to achieve international recognition. “China will always be a strategic partner that Myanmar can rely on,” he said. The remarks come as the U.S. shows signs of re-engaging with Naypyitaw in search of business.
Wang also called for stronger efforts to combat scams and online gambling. He urged Myanmar to prevent the “resurgence of chaos” in Myawaddy, referring to online scam operations that flourished along the Thai-Myanmar border. He urged Naypyitaw to do more to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals, organizations and projects operating in the country. Aung Kyaw Hoe, for his part, promised that his regime does want to accelerate the CMEC projects and step up cooperation with China and regional countries in combating online scam operations. When Myanmar’s putschist leader Min Aung Hlaing last visited Beijing in June after declaring himself president, Chinese President Xi Jinping also urged him to speed up the CMEC projects, a key component of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He too urged the regime to provide stronger security guarantees for Chinese personnel and investments in Myanmar, many of which are in areas now controlled by the resistance or ethnic armed organizations over which Beijing holds no sway. Read more at:
