China wants offensive against Myanmar regime to end, leaked document shows

China wants armed groups in Myanmar to end their offensives against the country’s junta, a leaked document from a meeting held following the fall of the strategic town of Lashio in early August shows, revealing that the regime’s most important ally fears it may be nearing collapse. Long a backer of successive military regimes in Myanmar, China appears to be increasingly concerned that downfall of the current junta could damage its geopolitical interests, including its access to the Indian Ocean. In a bid to pressure the armed groups responsible for this unprecedented threat, China has blocked food and fuel supplies to areas under their control, according to the leaked 32-page document obtained by Myanmar Now. The document details a meeting held on August 27 between Chinese officials and leaders of the United Wa State Army (UWSA), recognised as the most powerful ethnic armed group in Myanmar. During the meeting, China’s special envoy for Asian affairs, Deng Xijun, reiterated Beijing’s support for the Myanmar military and its firm stance against resistance forces opposed to its rule. “Overall, we oppose actions that provoke civil war and unrest in Myanmar,” Deng said, asserting that the junta remains the most important political force in the country. He specifically stated that China does not recognise the control of Lashio by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the ethnic Kokang armed group that captured the town in August, and called for its withdrawal. Residents of Lashio inspect buildings hit by junta airstrikes on September 24 (AFP) Both the MNDAA and UWSA, which operate near the China-Myanmar border, originated as breakaway factions of the now-defunct Communist Party of Burma and had previously entered ceasefire agreements with Myanmar’s military. While the UWSA has maintained its ceasefire for the past three decades, the MNDAA’s collapsed in 2009, resulting in the loss of its foothold in the Kokang region of northern Shan State. It has since regained control over the area as part of the ongoing Operation 1027 offensive that it launched with its allies in October of last year. In the meeting held in China’s Yunnan Province, Deng led the nine-member Chinese team while the UWSA was represented by Zhao Guoan and Bao Aikang, the group’s deputy leader and deputy secretary general. Deng said that China has imposed a “five-cuts strategy” against the MNDAA, cutting off its electricity, water, internet, and supplies and restricting the movement of its personnel at border crossings in the Kokang region. He added that the restrictions would remain in place until the MNDAA withdraws the roughly 2,000 troops that it currently has in Lashio from the town. He noted, however, that the strategy has so far had limited success, in part because the UWSA has provided the Kokang region with a “blood transfusion line” by supplying goods not available from China. In response, Zhao Guoan said the UWSA was cooperating with China, but could not fully enforce the blockade due to private sector activities—something Deng dismissed as an excuse. A map shows the Kokang Self-Administered Zone in relation to Lashio, UWSA territory, and China “China is determined and unwavering, so for your own interests, you must cut off any contact with Kokang and the Peng family. If you do not do what China has clearly asked and if you secretly give in, you will be subject to Chinese control just like them,” the diplomat said, referring to Peng Daxun, the commander of the MNDAA and the son of the group’s founder, Pheung Kya-shin (Peng Jiasheng). Last month, Myanmar Now reported that both Chinese and Myanmar authorities have blocked the flow of food supplies and pharmaceutical products to towns in northern Shan State controlled by MNDAA and its allies, resulting in severe shortages. In an apparent attempt to appease China, the MNDAA announced last month that it would not cooperate militarily or politically with Myanmar’s publicly mandated National Unity Government (NUG), formed in the wake of the 2021 coup to spearhead forces resisting the return of military rule after a decade of relative freedom. However, the MNDAA continues to occupy Lashio, which has faced daily airstrikes from Myanmar’s military. Myanmar Now has reached out to the Chinese embassy in Yangon for comment on the August meeting, but has yet to receive a response. UWSA officials also declined to discuss the matter. A senior NUG official asserted that the revolution against the military junta would persist regardless of China’s interventions. “Our neighbouring countries should understand that the military junta is the root cause of the problem of our country, not the solution,” said the NUG’s deputy foreign minister, Moe Zaw Oo. “As long as the military is involved in politics, there will be no way to find a sustainable solution for our country,” he stated, adding that siding with one party in the conflict was “not a wise option” for any country seeking good relations with Myanmar.

China wants offensive against Myanmar regime to end, leaked document shows

A document obtained by Myanmar Now reveals China’s growing concern about the junta’s stability following its loss of Lashio in August

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