Airbus hit with complaint over ties to Chinese firm supplying Myanmar junta

A civil society group filed a complaint in the Netherlands on Wednesday against European aviation giant Airbus, accusing the company of maintaining ties with a Chinese defense firm that has supplied weapons to Myanmar’s military.The complaint, seen by Myanmar Now, asks Airbus to use its leverage as an investor and partner of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) to push the company to end business with the junta.Airbus is linked to AVIC through investment in the Hong Kong-listed company AviChina Industry & Technology and through multiple joint ventures with AVIC companies in China.The complaint was filed at the National Contact Point of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Amsterdam by a Myanmar organisation, whose name has been withheld because of security concerns. The OECD National Contact Point considers complaints against corporations for irresponsible business conduct as defined in the organisation’s guidelines.In correspondence with Airbus that is attached to the complaint, the company’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Julie Kitcher, confirmed that Airbus has a 5 percent stake in AviChina “as part of a long-term strategic partnership with the Chinese civil aviation industry,” she said.Ms Kitcher went on to state that Airbus’ collaboration with AVIC is limited to civil aviation and services.Joseph Wilde-Ramsing, acting Executive Director for the Netherlands-based Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), said that Airbus has a “concrete responsibility” to ensure AVIC and AviChina stop supplying military aircraft and assistance to the junta. “If Airbus cannot ensure this, it should responsibly disengage from those business relationships,” he said. “The fact that Airbus does not itself transfer weapons to the junta or have full control over AVIC and AviChina does not diminish this responsibility.” The complainants argue that AVIC is primarily a defence company and point to China’s strategy to ensure civil technological developments advance the nation’s military. The group also pointed out that AviChina’s products include the K-8 fighter jet, and the Y-12 military transport plane, both aircraft known to be used on the battlefield by the junta in the ongoing civil war. The complainants cited the company’s 2023 annual report as evidence that they were developing these aircraft. Myanmar’s military has faced fierce resistance since its 2021 coup, with ethnic armed groups and newly formed pro-democracy forces waging a nationwide rebellion. In response, the junta has increasingly relied on air power to strike civilian areas, resistance strongholds, and infrastructure. Rights groups have documented a sharp rise in airstrikes over the past year, often targeting schools, hospitals, and displacement camps. Aircraft linked to Chinese state-owned manufacturers—including the K-8 and Y-12—have been repeatedly observed in these attacks. Data published by the aviation monitoring group Enemy Air Route shows the junta’s use of AVIC aircraft, including the K-8, since the country was struck by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on March 28. Despite the disaster, the junta has continued to launch airstrikes nationwide, including in earthquake affected areas of Mandalay. "Airbus has been turning a blind eye to AVIC's dirty deals with the brutal Myanmar military for too long,” said Yadanar Maung, spokesperson for Justice For Myanmar (JFM) in a press release from last year. JFM is a watchdog organisation that monitors the junta’s financial dealings and exposes abuses. “With ongoing credible documentation and reporting at the UN of the human rights crisis in Myanmar, Airbus must have known that its key business partner AVIC is supplying aircraft, weapons and ongoing technical maintenance services to the junta in Myanmar,” Yadanar Maung said. The complaint follows a 2024 report by JFM and Info Birmanie into Airbus’ alleged links to the junta’s airstrikes through China. The report sparked protests against Airbus in Myanmar and London, and an online petition against Airbus that has received over 5,800 signatures. Airbus and AVIC did not respond to requests for comment from Myanmar Now. "Airbus and its states shareholders must end the flow of arms from AVIC to the genocidal Myanmar military, or ensure Airbus ends its business with AVIC for good,” Yadanar Maung said. Junta troops shared a video on Tik Tok in July 2024, indicating they were transported on an ATR aircraft. (Source: Justice for Myanmar / TikTok )

Airbus hit with complaint over ties to Chinese firm supplying Myanmar junta

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