Chinese Economic Ties Imply Beijing Support for Myanmar Coup: Analyst

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s wide-ranging economic interests in Myanmar have likely led to a muted response to the military coup in the country from Beijing, according to a Chinese political commentator. While the United States and its allies have strongly condemned the military's dismantling of the country's democratically elected government and the detention of its leader Aung San Suu Kyi, China's public response has been to "note" what is occuring and to say it is monitoring the situation closely.

As the military imposed a "one-year state of emergency" under military chief Min Aung Hlaing, Chinese spokesman Wang Wenbin announced: "We have taken note of what is happening in Myanmar and are learning more about the situation," Wang said. He added: "China is a friendly neighbor of Myanmar. We hope that all parties in Myanmar will properly handle their differences ... and maintain political and social stability."

The emphasis on "stability" speaks to both wide-ranging economic ties between the two countries, and their shared political authoritarianism, former Tsinghua University politics lecturer Wu Qiang told RFA.

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