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China denies aiding Myanmar coup after pro-democracy protests outside embassy
China’s ambassador to Myanmar dismissed rumors that Beijing was aiding a military coup in its Southeast Asian neighbor, days after hundreds of pro-democracy protesters demonstrated outside the Chinese embassy. On February 1, Myanmar’s armed forces invalidated the results of the November elections that saw the National League of Democracy (NLD) win by a wide margin, declaring a one-year state of emergency and placing party leaders as Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader and president Win Myint under house arrest. Ambassador Chen Hai told a local media group on Monday that Beijing had “no prior knowledge” of the coup and insisted that rumors that it was helping the military junta install a firewall to prevent protesters from organizing online they were “ridiculous”. The ambassador’s interview was posted on the embassy’s website on Tuesday. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the great stories originating from China. “We have friendly relations with both the NLD and the military. The current situation is not at all what China wants to see, ”Chen said. This was the closest Beijing came to criticizing the current unrest that has gripped one of China’s most important partners in Southeast Asia. No other country has more infrastructure investments in Myanmar than China, which views its Southeast Asian neighbor as a key part of its strategic goal of avoiding being surrounded by US allies. While the international community was quick to condemn the coup, China and Russia used their veto power as permanent members of the UN Security Council to block a joint statement condemning the military junta. These actions and others have infuriated locals who oppose the military takeover. On Thursday, hundreds of anti-coup protesters gathered outside the Chinese embassy in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city. The protesters carried signs in English and Chinese with slogans such as “support Myanmar, do not support dictators” and “stop helping the military coup.” Coup in Myanmar: From the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi to mass protests and more Chen referred to the UN Security Council debate on Monday, but fell short of endorsing the critical stance of other council members such as Britain . “Recently, the UN National Security Council published [Britain’s] statements to the press, which expressed their deep concern over the declared state of emergency and the house arrest of figures such as State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, ”Chen said. “As a member of the Security Council, China participated in these discussions. I think everyone in Myanmar is aware of this situation. ” The ambassador also flatly denied rumors that China has sent weapons or technical assistance to Myanmar or that it was helping the military reinforce a firewall to censor the Internet, saying they were “total and ridiculous nonsense.” He said that the Chinese cargo planes photographed landing in Myanmar were ordinary cargo planes and did not carry troops or weapons. “If rumors like these are circulating in Myanmar, it suggests that they were being inflamed and instigated by people with ulterior motives… We hope that the people of Myanmar can distinguish right from wrong and are not influenced by politics that damages good friendship between the people from both of our countries, ”Chen added. This article China denies aiding the coup in Myanmar after pro-democracy protests outside the embassy first appeared on the South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post, download our mobile app. Copyright 2021.
