Chinese envoy Sun Guoxiang (left) meets Senior General Min Aung Hlaing during a previous visit to Myanmar in 2018. This week’s trip is China’s latest bid to help ease the crisis in the neighbouring country. Photo: Handout
China has sent a special envoy to Myanmar, its latest effort to help ease the political crisis in the neighbouring country nearly 10 months after a military takeover.
Sun Guoxiang, Beijing’s special envoy for Asian affairs, visited the capital Naypyidaw on Monday, according to China’s foreign ministry.
He held separate meetings with the junta’s leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin and Union Minister Lieutenant General Yar Pyae.
It was Sun’s second trip to Myanmar since the military seized power on February 1, toppling Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government. The coup sparked widespread protests that were met with lethal force and the military now faces armed resistance against its rule.
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Joy and sorrow as Myanmar junta frees political prisoners detained in anti-coup protests
Joy and sorrow as Myanmar junta frees political prisoners detained in anti-coup protests
In a statement on the trip on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China supported all parties in Myanmar to seek political settlement through dialogue under the country’s constitutional and legal framework.
“China actively supports Myanmar, an important member of the Asean family, in working together with Asean to implement the five-point consensus on Myanmar reached by Asean,” he said.
“China will work together with the international community to play a constructive role in Myanmar’s efforts to restore social stability and resume democratic transformation at an early date.”
International pressure is building on Myanmar’s ruling military junta to return to a five-point peace plan it agreed in April with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The plan included ending the violence and starting dialogue between all parties to seek a peaceful solution to the crisis.
Ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained since the coup. Photo: Reuters
It was unclear whether Chinese envoy Sun was able to meet ousted leader Suu Kyi, who has been charged with “election fraud and lawless actions”, according to state media. When he last visited in August, Sun’s request to visit Suu Kyi – who has been detained since the coup in February – was rejected by the military leadership. That was seen as a setback for Beijing’s efforts to mediate between the junta and Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy.
China and Myanmar share a 2,200km (1,370-mile) border. China is a long-time supporter of Myanmar and its biggest investor and has said its policy on the country remains unaffected by the domestic situation. It has also voiced support for Asean to help resolve the crisis. But it is concerned about growing political unrest and violence over the border, as well as Covid-19 infections. The Chinese city of Ruili – in Yunnan on the Myanmar border – has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, enduring four strict lockdowns since September last year that have taken a toll on residents and businesses.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Myanmar junta urged to implement Asean peace plan
