China tells state firms in Myanmar to evacuate non-essential staff
- State firm source says they were given the instructions after attacks on Chinese-owned factories in Yangon on Sunday
- Situation is tense and almost all Chinese projects have stopped, sources say
In a notice seen by the South China Morning Post, the State Council’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (Sasac) ordered state-owned enterprises in Myanmar to evacuate staff involved in projects that had come to a halt.
Other staff to be pulled out of the country include those who have reached the end of their rotations, workers who have not yet been inoculated against the coronavirus, employees living on remote sites and those facing serious local situations, according to the notice.
03:04
Myanmar workers flee after Chinese-funded factories torched
One state construction firm employee working on an infrastructure project in Myanmar confirmed that he had received the instructions from Sasac, which oversees 90 national-level SOEs in China.
“In fact, almost all projects have already stopped here. We are discussing who shall stay back to watch developments. I think most of us will head home as nothing much can be done.”
01:04
Beijing urges Myanmar to protect Chinese citizens after factory arson
In the notice, Sasac also ordered all SOEs in Myanmar to carry out emergency drills, making sure they had enough vehicles, fuel, food and other necessities for an evacuation.