Xi Jinping signals support for Myanmar in face of international outcry over Rohingya crisis by meeting top military commander
China’s leader plays host to senior general despite growing international criticism over conflict that has displaced 600,000
Chinese President Xi Jinping met Myanmar’s top general in Beijing on Friday and discussed China’s support amid international criticism over its treatment of the Rohingya minority, according a statement from the general.
China has offered diplomatic backing to its southern neighbour throughout the crisis, despite growing pressure from Western countries for the Myanmar military to be held accountable for the atrocities its soldiers have been accused of committing.
More than 600,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim group have fled from Buddhist-majority Myanmar’s Rakhine State to Bangladesh in three months since insurgent attacks on security posts sparked a brutal counter-insurgency campaign.
China helped to block a resolution on the crisis at the UN Security Council, while the United States this week called the response by the military and local vigilantes “ethnic cleansing”, echoing earlier statements by senior United Nations officials.
According to a statement on the Facebook page of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, he and the Chinese leader on Friday discussed the “promotion of cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries, the situation of China standing on Myanmar’s side at the forefront of the international community regarding the Rakhine issue,” and other issues.