Myanmar's military dictator, Min Aung Hlaing, returned from a five-day trip to China, his first since the February 2021 coup, with promises of further Chinese assistance, in a desperate attempt to shore up his flailing regime and bankrupt economy. Min Aung Hlaing was invited to attend the 8th Greater Mekong Subregion Forum, and was kept confined to Kunming, the capital of neighboring Yunnan province.
Though he failed to get the legitimizing meeting with Xi Jinping that he had hoped for, he held talks with Prime Minister Li Qiang. The junta chief had one overriding priority: securing additional Chinese military assistance. The junta leader pledged that he was ready to sit down and talk peace with the opposition, but only “if they genuinely want peace” – i.e. stop fighting.There were other matters on his agenda.
