Cybercrime crackdown reveals warming ties between China and Myanmar

Operations to smash online fraud bases in Myanmar’s northern regions put military junta and Beijing in good light, observers say

China described as burnishing its Global Security Initiative credentials while Myanmar has a chance to improve its regional standing

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Observers said the cybercrime crackdown which saw more than 1,200 fraud suspects handed over to China from Myanmar is a sign of improved relations between the two countries. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 12:00pm, 15 Sep 2023

The wave of cybercrime arrests in Myanmar is a sign of its improved relations with China, which has been working with the ruling junta and armed ethnic groups in the country’s north to crack down on the problem, according to observers.

Isolated Myanmar has been trying to rebuild its ties with the world, while the operation’s success also places Beijing in a positive light by showcasing China’s ability to contribute to security measures in the region, they suggested.

More than 1,200 fraud suspects were handed over to the Chinese government from northern Myanmar on Friday, with state news agency Xinhua calling it a “major result” for China’s efforts to crack down on criminal online scam operations.

The handover followed the arrest of 269 other suspects involved in Myanmar-based cyber scams earlier last week, in an operation that brought down 11 bases operating in the northern region which is largely controlled by armed ethnic groups.

Htwe Htwe Thein, associate professor of international business at Curtin University, said the results of the operations showed that China and Myanmar appeared to be collaborating well.

“It does tell you something about a stronger and closer relationship between China and the military regime in Myanmar,” said Thein, whose research is focused on the troubled country which has been embroiled in political crisis since a coup in 2021.