BEIJING/YANGON (AFP - dpa): China's army and air force began live-fire exercises Tuesday next to its border with Myanmar, local authorities said, following recent bilateral talks on security in the area.
Myanmar's northern Shan state has been the site of repeated clashes since late June after ethnic rebel groups renewed an offensive against the military along a vital trade highway to China.
Beijing is a major ally and arms supplier to Myanmar's junta, but analysts say it also maintains ties with ethnic armed groups that hold territory near its border.
Earlier this month Myanmar's embattled junta chief hosted China's foreign minister in Naypyidaw for talks on the "stability of the border regions".
Shan state borders China's Yunnan province and is a vital piece of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative.
Local authorities in Yunnan said the drills, held according to an "annual training plan", would last until Thursday.
The exercises "aim to test the command's reconnaissance, early warning, multi-dimensional control and strike capabilities", according to a spokesperson for the People's Liberation Army, quoted by state news agency Xinhua.
Troops involved "are prepared to handle various emergencies and are committed to safeguarding national sovereignty, border stability and the safety of people's lives and property", the report said.
In another development, Myanmar’s junta is on the verge of losing control over another important part of the country to a rebel army - this time in a state bordering Bangladesh, according to the latest report by the International Crisis Group published on Tuesday.
"The Arakan Army has seized most of central and northern Rakhine State, on Myanmar’s border with Bangladesh, and seems on the verge of expelling the military,” the group said in a statement.
The Arakan Army, founded in 2009, has long been fighting for greater autonomy for Rakhine State, formerly Arakan State, on the west coast of the country. It is now regarded as one of the most important rebel groups in the crisis-hit nation and is supported by large sections of the Buddhist majority in the region.
The statement also noted that since the Arakan Army restarted its fight for Rakhine State in late 2023, it is has started to carve out a "proto-state of over a million people" on the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh.
"When the dust settles, the Arakan Army will likely emerge as Rakhine State’s de facto governing authority, and outside actors will have to decide how and whether to engage with it," the organization stressed.
Generals have ruled the multi-ethnic state of Myanmar with an iron fist since the military coup in February 2021. The ousted head of government Aung San Suu Kyi, 79, is in prison. However the junta has come under increasing pressure since October.
An alliance of three ethnic rebel groups - including the Arakan Army - launched a military offensive against the military in areas close to the Chinese border. Since then, the junta has lost control of many other important border trading posts, including those that connect the former Burma with India, Bangladesh and Thailand.
According to the United Nations, the junta has recently responded to the loss of control in various parts of the country with increasing violence.
Just a fortnight ago, the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) wrote in its annual report of "clear evidence of brutal war crimes and crimes against humanity.". There was talk of severe torture, mutilations and beheadings. Internationally, the military government is largely isolated.
The economic situation in Myanmar has deteriorated significantly. The value of the kyat has plummeted from around 1,330 kyats per US dollar in February 2021, at the time of the coup, to over 6,000 kyats per dollar today.
The World Bank's June report highlighted that due to ongoing conflict, labour shortages, and currency instability, conducting business in Myanmar has become extremely challenging, with poverty levels reaching their highest point in six years. - AFP - dpa
