Who are stoking rumors of China in Myanmar?

West-funded NGOs, HK secessionists loom behind China-bashing

The West’s campaign to put pressure on and intervene in Myanmar’s domestic affairs further escalated after the UK and Canada imposed targeted sanctions on Myanmar’s generals on Thursday following the US, while India joined other US “Quad” allies to point fingers at Naypyidaw.

Experts warned these countries on Friday that they should not treat Myanmar as their “pawn” in geopolitical rivalry, which would not do the country good, but could risk dragging it further down into the abyss.

For a long time, the West and some anti-China forces have been trying to make use of Myanmar as a strategic pivot to contain China. Amid the political upheaval in Myanmar this time, a flurry of rumors attacking China, including the so-called “Chinese aircraft transporting technicians to Myanmar” and “China helping Myanmar building an internet firewall,” surfaced on social media, stoking hatred and antiChina sentiments among the Myanmar public.

Chinese and Myanmese experts told the Global Times that some hostile forces – both in and outside of Myanmar – are deliberately making use of this opportunity to spread rumors against China and stoke hatred to distance Myanmar from China, Myanmar’s largest trading partner and close neighbor.

Several experts reached by the Global Times said Western forces are making use of the current sentiments to spread rumors through Hong Kong secessionists and local NGOs, while inside Myanmar, the misunderstanding among some people toward China are being manipulated by radical groups.

Aye Maung Kyaw, a Myanmar political analyst, on Friday slammed the sanctions imposed by the West in an interview with the Global Times, saying the sanctions are “stupid” to Myanmar people.

Three antagonist forces

Absconding Hong Kong secessionist Nathan Law who fled to the UK has been busy spreading rumors about China in the past weeks, posting on Facebook and Twitter, touting fake information, including China sending technical staff to Myanmar. Law also called on his “friends from Milk Tea Alliance” to show “concern” for what happens in Myanmar.

The Milk Tea Alliance and Hong Kong secessionists are “typical mouths raised by the West. They would not give up any opportunity to attack China,” said Zhuang Guotu, head of Xiamen University’s Southeast Asian Studies Center.

“But they are just some clowns for attention,” Zhuang said, noting that it is more worthy to notice some people in Myanmar have been affected with anti-China sentiments by Western forces.

Analysts said that another force which needs special attention is local organizations that have long been cultivated by the West. They noted that the infiltration of “external anti-China forces” in Myanmar is obvious.

Westerners in recent years have cultivated some radical “democratic fighters” inside the country, and sponsored the establishment of various NGOs and think tanks that keep attacking China with bias and misinformation.

“These [US] foundations often give money to Myanmar domestic organizations – maybe $100,000 or $200,000 each time,” said a scholar from Myanmar who preferred to remain anonymous.

“The foundations are likely to utilize the organizations they sponsor to do some false propaganda, like what they might have done in Hong Kong.”

Inside Myanmar, Aye Maung Kyaw said there are some local people, especially a few youngsters influenced by social media, who don’t like China.

But this negative sentiment toward China has been diminishing in the past five years, as “people have seen more transparency in relationships between Myanmar and its neighboring countries, especially China,” Aye Maung Kyaw noted.

Since the democratic transition in Myanmar, Myanmar-China relations are generally good and positive, although it remains unclear whether the cabinet reshuffle will affect the relations, Aye Maung Kyaw said.

“It depends on how Myanmar deals with the ‘coup,’ and how China will reacts to it.”

Given the current situation in Myanmar, experts said that China could resort to the multilateralism mechanism, including the UN and the ASEAN, to facilitate dialogue and help bring Myanmar to stability.