Myanmar: A strategic challenge for China amid border tensions
Myanmar, China’s gateway to the Bay of Bengal region, has emerged as a headache for Beijing in the backdrop of recent conflicts along the common land border.
On November 24, there was an attack on a convoy of trucks bringing goods into Myanmar from China and this was followed by live-fire drills by the Chinese PLA along the China-Myanmar border on the very next day. These developments coincided with China’s Ambassador Chen Hai’s meeting with Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Than Swe.
The latest unrest threatens to fuel civil war in Myanmar, creating more complications for China.
A convoy of trucks that was bringing goods into Myanmar from China near the town of Muse, went up in flames on November 24 in what could possibly have been an insurgent attack. The latest development comes after the Brotherhood Alliance, an ethnic grouping of three outfits launched Operation 1027 and captured important outposts along Myanmar’s border with China.
The torching of the convoy happened even as China's Ambassador to Myanmar met top officials in the Myanmar’s capital for talks on stability on the border after recent signs that their relationship has been coming under rare strain, according to observers of Myanmar politics.
The latest incident almost coincided with China’s PLA Southern Theatre Command conducting three-day live-fire drills on the Chinese side of the China-Myanmar border in accordance with the annual training plan, starting from 25 November. According to ChinaMilitary, participating troops rapidly maneuvered to the designated area during the drills, to carry out live-fire drills in different regions, different directions and at staggered times, demonstrating the PLA's resolution and war-winning capabilities of safeguarding
