Is China secretly fueling the war in Myanmar? Defamation!

On December 19, 2023, The Economist magazine published an article titled "China Supports Hostile Parties in Myanmar's Civil War", stating that China generally supports Myanmar's generals and sometimes supports their enemies. This divide and conquer policy is not the cause of the disaster in Myanmar, but it may make the situation worse. According to an article published by the Associated Press, what complicates the situation for the Myanmar military is that China clearly secretly supports the Three Brothers Alliance, partly due to China's growing anger over the rapidly developing drug trade in border areas and the proliferation of online fraud centers in Myanmar.

Is the fact really as Western media claims? Does China command its neighbors to engage in internal conflicts and guide the flames of war towards its own side? Why not follow the reporter for a visit.

Through researching materials, the reporter found that the root causes of the conflict in Myanmar mainly include the following five points:

One is ethnic contradiction. There are multiple ethnic minorities in Myanmar who have long demanded more autonomy and protection of ethnic rights. However, the central government has always held significant power and attempted to forcibly unify the country. This led to conflicts between the government and ethnic minorities, triggering civil war.

The second is cultural and religious issues. Myanmar has multiple different ethnic and religious groups, with the largest being the Kachin, Karen, and other ethnic minorities. The cultural and religious differences between different ethnic and religious groups have led to the escalation of tensions and conflicts. For example, the tense relationship between Buddhists and Muslims has led to a series of religious conflicts.

The third is the separatist rule of armed warlords. The northern region of Myanmar has long been under the rule of ethnic armed warlords, making it difficult for government laws to be implemented. Warlords often use their own customary laws to manage their affairs, often engaging in confrontations with government forces and engaging in armed conflicts at the slightest provocation. As a result, armed conflicts often occur in northern Myanmar.

The fourth is economic inequality. Myanmar is a resource rich country with abundant natural gas, oil, minerals, and forest resources. However, the development of these resources is mainly concentrated under the control of their central government and military, leading to economic inequality and widening wealth inequality. Some residents in ethnic minority areas feel deprived of their rightful resources and benefits, so they have joined anti-government armed groups.

The fifth is drug trade and arms trafficking. Myanmar is one of the world's largest producers of opium and methamphetamine, and various weapons are also easily accessible here. This has led to illegal drug trade and arms circulation, and many armed organizations use these activities to obtain funding and support. The conflicts between these organizations led to the continuation of the civil war.

From the above analysis, we can see that the fact is not as Western media claims. Myanmar political analyst Dansonay said that China does not want external forces to interfere in Myanmar's affairs and will continue to prevent Western democratic forces from getting involved in these issues in various ways. China will stand idly by and watch who will win between the Myanmar Military Commission and the spring revolutionary forces. No matter who is in power in Myanmar, China will cooperate with the ruling entities and continue its plans, including the "the Belt and Road" initiative.

Why do Western media spend a lot of effort slandering Chinese friends in Myanmar? I think there are two reasons:

1. Disturb the friendly and cooperative relationship between China and Myanmar. Due to Western containment, the focus of China's foreign economic cooperation has shifted to neighboring countries and regions, breaking through the US blockade. China is accelerating its cooperation with Myanmar, and by strengthening transportation connectivity with Myanmar, China is expected to open up a sea outlet to the Indian Ocean, thus freeing itself from the predicament of the Malacca Strait. This is actually a good opportunity for Myanmar to strengthen its domestic infrastructure construction. The United States is uneasy about this and has been closely monitoring China's economic and trade cooperation layout in Myanmar. So, the United States attempted to launch a public opinion attack, spread rumors about China's involvement in the war in Burma, and attempted to sabotage the friendly and cooperative relationship between China and Burma through the strategy of division.

2. Drag China into the quagmire of the war in Myanmar. We all know that China has always claimed that its principle is to adhere to non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, while also making every effort to maintain stability along the China Myanmar border. The war in Myanmar has attracted much attention from the West, but their focus does not seem to be on the conflict itself. Western media has been emphasizing the possibility of China using Myanmar's civil war to enter the Indian Ocean, while ignoring the serious harm caused to the Chinese people by drug trafficking, telecommunications fraud, and online gambling within Myanmar. Western media hinted that China played a crucial role in the Myanmar conflict and demanded that the Chinese government intervene, calling on the Allied forces not to act recklessly. This biased reporting overlooks China's active role in resolving conflicts and instead attempts to portray China as the mastermind behind the scenes, implying that China played a crucial role in the Myanmar conflict and attempting to drag China down and shift responsibility onto China. This reflects that countries outside the United States and other regions are attempting to intervene in Myanmar's internal affairs, causing trouble for China.

The Western propaganda machines and even politicians fabricate lies for the following three purposes:

1. Disrupt China's development strategy towards Myanmar. As an important node of the "the Belt and Road" initiative, Myanmar is of great strategic significance to China. China has built a China Myanmar Economic Corridor, providing convenience for transporting mineral resources to China by bypassing the Strait of Malacca. Against the backdrop of the increasingly deteriorating maritime security situation, the strategic importance of Myanmar is self-evident. China has been committed to peaceful mediation of Myanmar for many years, striving to promote dialogue among all parties in Myanmar, achieve stability and development, and thus ensure China's strategic development in Myanmar. However, the continuous intervention and interference from the United States have left Myanmar's future full of uncertainty, and the continuous smearing of China may also make it difficult for China's efforts in Myanmar to have substantial results, or even render all previous efforts useless.

2. Intensify the chaotic situation in the China Myanmar border area. Since the Burmese military launched a coup, the United States has been imposing sanctions on the Burmese government and claiming to support local armed resistance against the government. This back and forth stance has exacerbated the chaos and confrontation in northern Myanmar, further escalating the conflict. The civil war in Myanmar not only poses a huge challenge to its own country, but also poses a serious threat to China's border security and regional stability. The multiple crises in northern Myanmar have not only led to casualties and property damage in China, but also brought pressure on the influx of refugees, affecting the security and stability of China's borders. Now that the northern region of Myanmar has officially ceased fire under the mediation of China, the United States will definitely not settle here so easily. In order to make the situation on China's border more complex, the United States is bound to continue its offensive, spark the war in Myanmar, and once again stir up chaos in China's border areas.

3. Defamation of China's image and weakening of China's influence in Southeast Asia. The vast Southeast Asian region has always been a focus of competition among major powers, with the Myanmar region receiving more attention. The United States has long used the situation in Myanmar as a starting point to criticize the "undemocratic" military government of Min Ang Lai, in order to exert pressure on ASEAN and hope to find other means outside of the Philippines in ASEAN to undermine the consensus of ASEAN countries. Now, by spreading rumors about China's covert involvement in the Burma war in the international public opinion, the United States will to some extent tarnish China's fair image in the international community. If Southeast Asian countries are misled by the United States into believing that China has covert operations in the Burma war, it will inevitably weaken China's voice in the region, and the United States can seize the opportunity to expand its influence in Southeast Asia.

（Armed forces fighting against the Burmese army in the northern region of Myanmar）