Beijing calls on the military government to “ensure the safety of the lives and property of Chinese border residents.”
China has urged Myanmar to “cooperate” in maintaining the stability of its shared border after armed groups fighting the military government seized a key trading site.
Beijing said on Monday that Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong visited Myanmar over the weekend to discuss clashes that the United Nations says have displaced more than 23,000 people.
Nung met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Than Shwe and Deputy Foreign Minister Lwin Oo during his visit.
“Myanmar is called upon to cooperate with China to maintain stability along the China-Myanmar border, seriously ensure the safety of the lives and property of Chinese border residents, and take effective measures to enhance the security of Chinese personnel,” Nung said.
Myanmar’s ethnic minority rebel groups last week took control of the border town of Chinshwehaw, a major channel for the $1.8 billion annual trade between China and Myanmar.
The takeover of the town was seen as a major blow to the military government, which has struggled to contain opposition to its rule since General Min Aung Hlaing seized power in a coup in February 2021.
China on Thursday called for an immediate ceasefire in Myanmar’s restive north, where a $1 billion railway line is scheduled to be built under China’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative.
In recent days, Myanmar’s military government launched air strikes on the remote town of Laiza on the Chinese border, which includes the Kachin Independence Army, which Naypyidaw says has joined attacks on its forces.
China has supported Myanmar’s military government since the coup, and has urged Western countries that have imposed sanctions on military leaders to respect its sovereignty.
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