An ethnic Burmese rebel group is preparing to hand over a strategic town in northeastern Shan State to Myanmar's military authorities under a Beijing-brokered deal, China's Foreign Ministry said today.
Through a joint invitation from both sides, China recently sent a team to Lashio, Myanmar (formerly Burma) to monitor the enforcement of the ceasefire between the Myanmar military and the MNDAA and to witness the smooth and orderly handover of the Lashio urban area, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a press briefing.
In August 2024, fighters from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) took control of Lashio, a situation that was considered a major setback for the Burmese military junta, which seized power through a coup d'état in February 2021 and ousted a democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi - Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1991.
Guo stressed that "maintaining peace and stability in northern Myanmar is in the fundamental interests of both countries and their peoples" and that China "respects Myanmar's national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"The team was dispatched in accordance with the wishes and calls of all relevant parties," Guo said, adding that both sides "expressed their appreciation and gratitude for China's constructive role."
"China will continue to promote the Kunming peace process, support dialogue efforts between warring parties, and work together with all sectors in Myanmar to safeguard peace and stability in bilateral relations and the region," the spokesperson added.
The MNDAA did not comment on the city's transfer and a spokesman for the military junta did not respond to requests from the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency.
The announcement comes on the day that a temporary ceasefire declared by the Burmese army ends on April 2, following the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck the country on March 28 and caused more than 3,700 deaths.
Although both the pro-democracy opposition and ethnic guerrillas adhered to the truce to facilitate the arrival of humanitarian aid, the United Nations counted more than 120 attacks carried out by the army after the earthquake.
The MNDAA, a guerrilla group made up mainly of Kokang ethnic elements with Chinese roots, is part of the rebel alliance known as the "Three Brothers Alliance", which since October 2023 has launched an offensive against the military junta and taken control of vast territories in areas bordering China.
Since the 2021 military coup, Myanmar has been plunged into a deep political and humanitarian crisis, with an armed conflict that has already displaced more than 2.6 million people, according to the UN.
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