China- Myanmar military ties unrelated to political situation: Chinese analysts
As China and Myanmar have maintained stable and longterm military cooperation, selling weapons to Myanmar’s military is normal, Chinese experts said Thursday, refuting a report published by a Myanmar civil society group that claims weapons sold by Chinese companies were “used by the military against its own people.”
The report, published by Justice for Myanmar, said five companies including armored vehicle and munitions developer China North Industries Group Corporation ( NORINCO), military aircraft developer and manufacturer Aviation Industry Corporation of China ( AVIC), and space giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation ( CASC), have provided munitions to Myanmar and are its major supporter. It said companies from India, Israel, Russia and Singapore also provided weapons and related materials to Myanmar.
Such a report was later interpreted by several overseas antiChina media as “evidence of China’s support for the junta.”
Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Thursday that these rumors are not necessarily from inside Myanmar, but more like a familiar propaganda trick used by the West to smear China, which was to deliberately frame China as the cause of the political event in Myanmar, Song said.
“The Myanmar army plays an important role in the country’s politics. As the only legal military in Myanmar, it is responsible for safeguarding its national independence and security. Therefore, it is normal for them to buy Chinese weapons and cooperate with Chinese enterprises,” said Fan Hongwei, director of the Center for Southeast Asia Studies at Xiamen University.
Myanmar has military cooperation with many countries, including Russia, Ukraine, China and India. In the current turmoil in Myanmar, China’s military cooperation with Myanmar was interpreted as China’s support for the military coup, which is an “imposed crime,” Fan said, noting that “it’s not just China that sells arms and has military cooperation with Myanmar. There are many other countries, such as India, Russia, Ukraine, and Israel.”
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on social media on Thursday that she will take the Chinese mainland- developed Sinovac vaccine as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ( HKSAR) will receive the first batch of 1 million doses on Friday, and online reservations will open on February 23.
At a press conference on the COVID- 19 vaccination program held on Thursday, the HKSAR government said the first batch of 1 million doses of the Sinovac vaccines will arrive on Friday afternoon, and the first batch of 1 million doses co- developed by Chinese company Fosun and German vaccine producer BioNTech will arrive by the end of February.
Authorities said they will open online reservation for vaccinations next Tuesday. Priority groups include people aged 60 or above, and people who live or work at care centers. Vaccinations will then extend to those between 16 and 59 with underlying diseases and general public under 60, said the Hong Kong government.
The vaccination is voluntary and the more people who receive doses, the stronger protection the public can get. Since the vaccines were developed quickly and rare adverse effects cannot be ruled out, HK$ 1 billion ($ 129 million) was allocated to deal with potential cases.
Lam said on Facebook that she will take the Sinovac vaccine, noting the vaccination program, to be available next week, marks a new milestone in Hong Kong’s fight against the virus.
Thursday is the first day on which
Hong Kong eased restrictions on social distancing after more than two months, meaning residents can dine in at restaurants in the evening and attend cinemas again.
But Lam warned the public against relaxing vigilance.
She reminded Hong Kong residents to scan health codes when entering designated areas and reiterated that the travel records of users are only stored in their mobile phones, so their personal whereabouts will not be disclosed and the system will not violate their privacy.
After the political uproar in Myanmar, many people inside and outside the country have started to accuse China of its so- called interference in Myanmar’s internal politics. Worse still, some have even said that China provided technical assistance to Myanmar’s military to develop a “cyber firewall.” This has been firmly refuted by Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Chen Hai. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying also said on Thursday that accusations such as “China backs Myanmar upheaval” are groundless with the intention of sowing discord between China and Myanmar.
Behind these rumors, there are lies, manipulation and interference from Western countries. With their manipulation, it seems that some people in Myanmar have started to believe that China stands in line with Myanmar’s military. AntiChina sentiments are also rising in the country.
Such kind of slander against China is a tactic frequently used by Western countries. They have stereotyped China, accusing Beijing of maintaining a close relationship or even supporting all the practices of the military of Myanmar. These rumors have more or less influenced Myanmar’s media and public opinion. The West has maliciously tried to shift the political debate regarding Myanmar in the West to Beijing.
In the context of Myanmar’s political uproar, Western countries’ moves to hype up anti- China sentiments are destructive. They will worsen the country’s domestic situation, and will not help Myanmar get out of its current political quagmire.
Hyping anti- China sentiment is completely inconsistent with the Western countries’ self- boasted democratic values.
Although Myanmar’s political uproar concerns the country’s domestic affairs, it will undoubtedly have an impact on Myanmar’s relations with neighboring countries. China, as a major neighbor, firmly believes that Myanmar’s peace and stability is in line with China’s interests, but political turmoil is not. China does not want the chaos in Myanmar to continue. On this basis, China hopes all parties in Myanmar can respect the rule of law and promote reconciliation within the country’s legal framework.
Some Western countries have tried to use Myanmar’s internal affairs to undermine the friendly cooperation between China and Myanmar.
In the past, they used the country’s unstable political situation to smear China’s infrastructure projects in the country. Such an attempt will never succeed because China has always played a constructive role in local society. China does not lean toward any side in Myanmar. China considers its relations with Myanmar from the perspective of the two countries’ interests, instead of supporting or opposing any particular party. This is in line with Myanmar’s interests and position as well, and is very different from the typical Western approach of dealing with foreign relations.
Some Western countries, the US included, believe China has taken a mild attitude toward Myanmar’s upheaval. They also think China has a close relationship with Myanmar military, and are trying to prove that China is behind the country’s political uproar. This is completely nonsense.
Just look at the position of some other Southeast Asian countries. Thailand and the Philippines are both ASEAN members just like Myanmar – with Bangkok and Manila showing their clear attitude of non- interference in the matter.
Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon called Myanmar’s situation “an internal affair” of the country. The Philippines has made similar statements. Then why has China become the only target of the US and other Western countries?
These so- called democratic countries do not consider things from Myanmar’s perspectives, only from their own angles and interests. Indeed, when Western- style elections clashed with Myanmar’s national conditions, “democratic” countries did not take into account local political and historical factors. The West just blindly uses tinted lenses and pushes for democratic systems in Myanmar without taking into consideration the ongoing political changes in the country.
It is groundless for the West to bleat about so- called democratic values and exert this messaging into the minds of Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar. This same messaging strategy that puts China on the opposite side of “free” and “democratic” countries will end up in vain. China has never interfered in Myanmar’s internal politics.
The situation in Myanmar can hardly be explained with existing Western models. Western countries had better make moves to maintain peace and stability in Myanmar instead of smearing China for the sake of their own interests.