China in touch with ‘all parties’ in Myanmar, embassy says
- Diplomatic staff say country is trying to promote ‘peace and discussion’ after reports it spoke to a group representing the ousted civilian government
- Beijing has not condemned the coup that removed Aung San Suu Kyi’s administration and some protesters have accused it of backing the military
A counsellor from the embassy spoke by phone with members of the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) last week in the first contact between Chinese officials and the group since the military’s February 1 coup, the Irrawaddy news service reported this week.
The embassy said: “China has been in touch and in communication with all parties in Myanmar.”
“The purpose is to play the role of promoting peace and discussion, promoting the cooling of the situation and maintaining stability in Myanmar, resolving differences through dialogue and consultation, and continuing to drive the process of democratic transformation.”
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Unlike Western countries, China has not condemned the army takeover, saying only that it hoped for stability in a neighbouring country where it ranks as the dominant trading partner and a major investor.
A member of the CRPH, which is attempting to restore the civilian government, will on Friday address an informal, virtual gathering of the 15 United Nations Security Council members in New York, diplomats said.
It will be the first public discussion of Myanmar by the Council’s members since the coup.
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The United States, which has imposed sanctions on the junta’s economic interests, on Thursday added a state-owned gem enterprise to its list of targets.
Myanmar’s junta has declared the CRPH an illegal organisation and charged its international envoy with treason for encouraging a civil disobedience campaign.
Myanmar has been in chaos since the coup, with strikes and almost daily protests in many parts of the country, some of which have been suppressed by security forces using lethal force.
On Friday, at least 11 demonstrators were killed in clashes with security forces in a town in northwest Myanmar after truckloads of troops arrived to quell a protest, according to domestic media reports.
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Taze is near the town of Kale, where at least 12 people were killed in a similar clash between troops and protesters on Wednesday.
An advocacy group tracking casualties says 614 civilians have been killed, including 48 children, and at least 2,800 are in detention.
China was among the few countries that had influence in Myanmar under the reclusive military’s 1962-2011 rule, when western sanctions had stifled its development and limited its international engagement.
