Beijing has supported a UN statement condemning the coup in Myanmar, but citizens suspect China may have had a hand in the military coup.
Beijing used to support Myanmar’s military government. However, after Myanmar’s transition to civilian rule in 2010, it was these former military leaders who turned away from China and toward the United States
A LARGE crowd of protesters gathered outside the Chinese Embassy in Yangon accusing China of being an accomplice in last month’s military coup.
But it is not clear if the Chinese government was directly involved or not. China had built a healthy working relationship with the government of Myanmar that was overthrown.
Beijing’s refusal to explicitly condemn the coup has made China the target of public outrage in Myanmar but exerting more pressure might look as though China is abandoning its traditional policy of non-interference in other countries’ government and throwing its weight around, the Washington Post reported.
Beijing used to support Myanmar’s military government. However, after Myanmar’s transition to civilian rule in 2010, it was these former military leaders who turned away from China and toward the United States, making them seem untrustworthy in comparison with the NLD government that came to power in 2015.
After the recent coup, Beijing supported a U.N. Security Council statement calling for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and demanding respect for human rights and the democratic transition in the country.
The Chinese ambassador to Myanmar said “the current development in Myanmar is absolutely not what China wants to see,” and called for a peaceful resolution of the problems in Myanmar.
At the same time, Beijing avoided explicitly condemning the coup, given that it hasn’t condemned any regime changes since at least the end of the Cold War. However, many Myanmar citizens do not trust China, and have continued to claim that China backed the coup. (RdlC)