Chinese ambassador warns Myanmar violence could lead to civil war

Beijing’s UN representative Zhang Jun calls for stronger diplomatic efforts to resolve crisis but says China does not want sanctions

Hundreds of civilians have been killed since the February coup deposed Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government

Reading Time:3 minutes

Protests against the coup have continued. Photo: AP

Published: 3:37pm, 4 May 2021Updated: 9:32pm, 4 May 2021

China’s UN ambassador called for stronger diplomatic efforts to resolve the confrontation in Myanmar on Monday, warning that further violence could lead to a chaotic situation “and even a civil war”.

Zhang Jun also warned that “any wrong handling” might lead to further tension in Myanmar.

The UN Security Council on Friday strongly backed calls by Southeast Asian nations for an immediate cessation of violence and talks as a first step toward a solution following the February 1 military coup in Myanmar that ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her party and reversed years of slow progress toward democracy.

The council again demanded the restoration of democracy and the release of all detainees including Suu Kyi, and condemned the use of violence against peaceful protesters and the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

Zhang, who described Myanmar as “a friendly neighbour”, strongly backed diplomatic efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and by UN special envoy for Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener, and expressed hope they would produce results. “China is not in favour of imposing sanctions,” he said.

“We should really be creating a more favourable environment for bringing the country back to normal and finding a political solution through dialogues among the relevant political parties within the constitutional and legal framework.”