The Global New Light of Myanmar (GNLM) newspaper reported today, November 7, that Min Aung Hlaing told Li at a meeting in Kunming city, Yunnan province, China on November 6 that the Myanmar military was ready for peace if the rebel armed groups joined.
This photo taken on November 6 shows Myanmar's military commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing (left) shaking hands with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Kunming, Yunnan province (China).
“The door to peace is always open if they truly want peace,” Min Aung Hlaing told Lee. “The armed rebels should do what they need to do instead of prioritizing their own needs and desires.”
During the meeting with Min Aung Hlaing, Li stressed the need to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and projects in Myanmar.
This is Min Aung Hlaing's first visit to China since taking power in a coup in February 2021.
Myanmar has been wracked by conflict between the military and various armed groups opposed to its rule since the coup. The military government is said to be in turmoil after rebels launched a major offensive last year, seizing large swathes of territory, much of it near the border with China, according to AFP.
During his meeting with Min Aung Hlaing in Kunming, Li stressed the need to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and projects in Myanmar, according to Xinhua. Li also told Min Aung Hlaing that China supports Myanmar in “promoting political reconciliation and transition.”
China is a major arms supplier to Myanmar’s military junta, but Beijing is concerned about the chaos unfolding on its doorstep. Last month, an explosion targeted the Chinese consulate in the Myanmar city of Mandalay. There were no casualties, but Beijing condemned the incident.
Myanmar armed group seizes another town on highway to China
Analysts say Beijing is concerned about the possibility of the collapse of Myanmar's military government and is suspicious of Western influence among some armed groups fighting the Myanmar military, according to AFP.
Myanmar is a key part of Beijing's trillion-dollar Belt and Road initiative, with railways and pipelines linking China's landlocked southwest to the Indian Ocean, according to AFP.
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