THE junta’s second-in-command arrived in China on Saturday for an official visit, as clashes with ethnic minority fighters raged in the north of the country despite a Beijing-brokered ceasefire.
Vice-senior General Soe Win arrived in Qingdao in Shandong province where he will attend a “Green Development Forum” hosted by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the junta’s information office said.
Ties between the junta and Beijing – a major ally and arms supplier – frayed last year over the junta’s failure to crack down on online scam compounds in Myanmar’s borderlands.
The compounds were staffed by citizens of China and other countries who were often trafficked and forced to work swindling their compatriots in an industry analysts say is worth billions.
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has not visited China since the 2021 coup that plunged the country into turmoil.
The South-East Asian nation has seen widespread fighting since the military coup ended democratic rule. — AFP
