China to provide Myanmar junta US$6 million to fund development projects
- A Chinese foreign ministry statement said the funds were to be transferred from China for projects within the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation framework
- China’s influence has grown in Myanmar in recent years, with the opening of oil and gas pipelines and plans for economic zones and a port
Unlike Western countries that have condemned the junta for cutting short democracy and the killing and imprisonment of its opponents, China has taken a softer line and said its priorities are stability and not interfering in its neighbour.
A foreign ministry statement said the funds were to be transferred from China for projects within the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation framework. It said those included animal vaccines, culture, agriculture, science, tourism and disaster prevention.
An agreement was signed on Monday with China’s ambassador to Myanmar, the statement said. The Chinese embassy’s Facebook page confirmed the signing.
Opponents of Myanmar’s junta have accused China of supporting the military takeover, in which elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted and detained. Beijing has rejected such accusations and said it backs regional diplomacy on the crisis.