
China’s embassy in Myanmar on Thursday asked its citizens to leave a northern district along the countries’ shared border, citing heightened security risks as ethnic minority armed groups battle the junta.
Fighting has raged across Myanmar’s northern Shan State since October, when the so-called “Brotherhood Alliance” of ethnic armed groups launched an offensive against the military.
The alliance has seized several towns and border hubs vital for trade with China in what analysts say is the biggest military challenge to the junta since it seized power in 2021.
The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), one member of the Brotherhood Alliance, has vowed to recapture the town of Laukkai, located in a district bordering China that is run by a military-aligned militia and is notorious for gambling, prostitution, and online scams.
“The conflicts in Laukkai District of Kokang, northern Myanmar continue, and safety. . .