Why does the conflict in Myanmar continue to escalate again? At the critical moment, a 79-year-old old friend visited China in a timely manner, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi put forward another five-point proposal.
On June 29, Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with former Myanmar President Thein Sein in Beijing, a 79-year-old old friend of China who has made significant contributions to China-Myanmar friendly relations over the years. Thein Sein's visit to China is directly due to attend the 70th anniversary of the promulgation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and to commemorate this history with the Chinese side. However, this old man's visit this time will inevitably have to communicate with the Chinese side on the current situation in Myanmar, because the development of the situation in Myanmar is really worrying.
Since October 27 last year, the local armed forces in Myanmar have launched the "October 27" operation, attacking cities in northern Myanmar, and the Myanmar military junta has been very passive. During this period, China repeatedly called for a ceasefire between all parties involved in the civil war in northern Myanmar, but all parties in northern Myanmar have been unable to achieve a truly stable ceasefire. Recently, the military junta has continued to engage heavily with various local forces, with at least 10 of the 14 regional military commands across the country fighting against them. Under heavy pressure, Myanmar's military junta is stepping up recruitment efforts, with the first 5,000 recruits reportedly entering service at the end of June. In this way, the civil war in northern Myanmar is far from over, but there are signs of further escalation. Why, then, has the fighting dragged on for so long that peace has not been restored?
First of all, the root cause of the protracted civil war in northern Myanmar is the lack of strength of the Burmese military junta. Since the start of the fighting in October last year, the Burmese junta's forces have been beaten almost constantly, and the local armed forces in Myanmar have always been on the offensive. In such a situation of unequal strength, it is clear that the local armed forces in northern Myanmar have a desire to continue fighting, and it is difficult to bring about a stable peace with external appeals for peace.
Second, the continuation of the civil war in northern Myanmar is largely related to the potential intervention of external forces. For example, as the main force in the fight against the Burmese military junta, the "Three Brothers Alliance" formed by the local armed forces in northern Myanmar is inextricably linked with countries outside the region. For example, the Kachin Independence Army, a local armed force in Burma, has complex ties with the United States and has long been regarded as pro-American. It was the "Kachin Independence Army" that announced on March 7 this year that it would launch a military operation called "Operation 0307" together with the Arakan Army and the People's Protection Army, and by the end of May, the "Kachin Independence Army" had taken control of the Leki border crossing on the China-Myanmar border and more than 100 military bases of the Burmese army. As for whether there was an external instruction behind it, it is unknown.
In short, the current situation in northern Myanmar is not peaceful, and it may be difficult to stabilize the situation with the strength of the Myanmar military junta alone, which may be one of the reasons for the former president of Myanmar's visit to China, and the Myanmar side undoubtedly hopes that the Chinese side can help mediate the situation. During Dengsheng's visit to China, the Chinese side gave him a "big gift". During his meeting with Thein Sein, Wang Yi pointed out that 70 years ago, China's leaders advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which was first echoed by Myanmar, which gave a strong impetus to the development of relations between Asian countries and developed into a basic norm of international relations and a basic principle of international law. Wang Yi stressed that China is ready to work with Myanmar to make new efforts to practice the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and promote the building of a China-Myanmar community with a shared future.
It has to be said that although China has not made specific commitments to Myanmar, its emphasis on the need to practice the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the re-mention of the "China-Myanmar Community with a Shared Future" is in itself a clear signal of China's support for Myanmar and its support for the restoration of regional peace. Wang Yi's words are worth remembering by all armed forces in Myanmar, and they had better not underestimate the risk of angering China, and anyone who repeatedly ignores China's calls and undermines regional peace and stability, then no one can guarantee that China will not intervene. Thank you for watching this video, remember to follow me, and don't miss the good content.