KIO urged to reach ceasefire with Myanmar regime in talks with Chinese officials

Chinese officials who met with senior leaders of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) in China last week called for an end to hostilities with Myanmar’s military junta, according to the group’s spokesperson. “The discussions included calls for a ceasefire with Min Aung Hlaing’s group,” said Col Naw Bu, spokesperson for the KIO and its armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), referring to the leader of Myanmar’s coup regime. The meeting, held in the Chinese city of Kunming, brought together a delegation headed by KIO chair General N’Ban La and Chinese government representatives led by senior diplomat Wu Ken, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), he added. Despite the appeal from China, the KIA has shown no sign of relenting in its offensive against the regime, as it continues to push for control of Bhamo, a key town in southern Kachin State near the Chinese border. Since March, KIA-led forces have captured more than a dozen towns in the state, including the border town of Lwegel near Bhamo and the Kachin Special Region 1. This resource-rich region along the border was formerly controlled by Zahkung Ting Ying, a junta-aligned Kachin warlord since forced to relocate to Naypyitaw. Observers noted that last week’s meeting was attended by a higher-level Chinese delegation than previous talks. In the past, the Chinese government’s special envoy for Asian affairs, Deng Xijun, represented the Chinese side. “The situation has evolved to the point where the KIA can now engage directly with the Chinese government on not only the civil war but also on politics, border trade, and ethnic issues,” said Nyein Nyein Thant Aung, a security policy analyst and researcher based in Switzerland. This suggests that the Chinese government has begun taking its talks with the KIO more seriously, she added. “In the past, special representatives merely conveyed messages from the Chinese government. However, the meeting with a member of the CPPCC signifies that the Chinese government has officially recognised the KIA for political dialogue,” said Nyein Nyein Thant Aung. Another topic discussed at the meeting was the restart of trade at border gates controlled on the Myanmar side by the KIO. China closed the gates on October 18, but reportedly reopened them last Friday. “It appears they reopened the gates to allow the passage of goods needed by the public. However, in reality, after the gates were opened, no people or goods crossed,” Naw Bu told Myanmar Now. Based in Laiza, a town on the Chinese border, the KIO is one of Myanmar’s oldest ethnic armed organisations. Formed in 1960, it is estimated to have 12,000 to 15,000 troops under its command. In 1994, the group reached a ceasefire agreement with Myanmar’s military, but hostilities resumed in 2011. Since the coup in February 2021, it has worked closely with armed groups formed to oppose the regime, providing weapons and training.

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