Myanmar Lets Chinese Troops Guard Projects as Ties Deepen

[geovalin]

The Irrawaddy

 

Marking 75 years of diplomatic ties, Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has doubled down on China’s strategic ambitions in the country, vowing to fast-track key Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects despite mounting domestic turmoil.

 

Amid continued armed conflict and territorial losses, the junta is under growing pressure, yet remains firmly backed by Beijing. Min Aung Hlaing pledged not only to advance China’s flagship China–Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) schemes—such as the Kyaukphyu deep-sea port and cross-border rail links—but also to protect them with a controversial new law.

 

The regime has passed legislation allowing Chinese armed personnel to guard Chinese interests on Myanmar soil, a move widely seen as an extraordinary concession. Analysts say it underscores how reliant the junta has become on Beijing’s support—diplomatic, military, and economic—to maintain power.

 

Critics accuse Min Aung Hlaing of effectively handing over swathes of sovereignty in return for Chinese backing. His government has also aligned itself with China’s cybersecurity crackdown, declaring it a “national duty”, while continuing to echo Beijing’s rhetoric on global development and the One China Policy.

 

As fighting rages in regions housing critical Chinese infrastructure, observers warn that the junta’s deepening dependence on China may further alienate ethnic armed groups and widen the country's internal divide. For many, the 75th anniversary of Myanmar–China relations is less a celebration of equal partnership, and more a stark reminder of how far Myanmar’s military rulers have fallen under Beijing’s shadow.

 

-2025-06-10