China backs Myanmar junta after disputed vote

Guo Jiakun

China has become the first country to congratulate Myanmar’s military regime on its recent election, describing the polls as “steady and orderly” despite widespread reports of irregularities and a boycott by much of the electorate.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing on Monday that China was ready to deepen “comprehensive strategic cooperation” with Myanmar following the month-long vote. Early results show the junta’s proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party emerging as the winner, a result widely expected.

Guo added that Beijing would encourage the international community to respect “the choice of the people of Myanmar” and provide “constructive assistance” to restore peace and stability. The statement marks a sharp contrast with Western governments and international organisations, which have dismissed the election as a sham designed to entrench military rule.

Analysts say China’s support is driven less by democratic considerations than by strategic interests. Myanmar provides Beijing with a crucial corridor to the Indian Ocean, where billions have already been invested in highways, energy pipelines and a stalled deep-sea port. Many of these projects lie in conflict zones, and China believes only the junta can guarantee their security.

Beijing has long played both sides of Myanmar’s civil war, supplying arms to the military while maintaining influence over ethnic rebel groups near its border. But in recent years, fearing that rebel advances could destabilise Naypyitaw, China has thrown its weight firmly behind the regime. Since the 2021 coup, it has been a major supplier of military hardware, helping the junta maintain control and reclaim lost territory.

Critics argue that China’s endorsement of the election simply echoes the junta’s narrative. “China will keep protecting the military no matter what it does,” one analyst told The Irrawaddy. “It doesn’t care who governs Myanmar—it only cares about business and profits.”

The endorsement underscores Beijing’s determination to secure its strategic foothold in Myanmar, even as the country remains isolated internationally and mired in conflict.

-2026-01-28