China’s ambassador to Myanmar has met top officials there for talks on stability on their common border, Myanmar media reported on Friday (Nov 24), after recent signs that their relationship has been coming under rare strain.
North-eastern Myanmar regions on the border with China have been rocked for the past month by an ethnic minority insurgent offensive against forces of Myanmar’s military rulers.
At the same time, Chinese and Myanmar junta officials have launched a crackdown in the region on gangs operating internet fraud centres that China blames for cheating many of its people. As part of that drive, Myanmar handed over tens of thousands of Chinese telecom fraud suspects this month.
Both Myanmar state media and China’s embassy reported that Chinese ambassador Chen Hai met Myanmar’s military-appointed foreign minister, Than Swe, and military officials in the capital Naypyitaw on Thursday.
They discussed “bilateral relations, continued implementation of mutually beneficial bilateral projects” and “cooperation in peace and stability and rule of law along the border areas”, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported. The Chinese embassy gave no details.
The insurgent offensive on the Myanmar side of the border and the drive against the online fraud gangs, many organised by Chinese criminals, has shone a spotlight on relations between Beijing and the Myanmar junta.