Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing is facing criticism over his recent trip to China after taking the chief ministers of two border states and a group of prominent crony businessmen with him. He also made a desperate push to revive major Chinese investment projects that have been suspended.
During the five-day visit, which began on June 15, Min Aung Hlaing was accompanied by Kachin State Chief Minister U Khet Htein Nan and Shan State Chief Minister U Sain Htein Soe. Both Kachin and Shan states share borders with China.
Also in the delegation also included several leading cronies: Max Myanmar President U Zaw Zaw; Asia World Group of Companies Chairman U Htun Myint Naing, whose company is involved in the Myitsone Dam project; Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) Chair U Aye Win; and Shwe Thanlwin Company founder U Kyaw Win.
During the trip, Min Aung Hlaing met Chinese President Xi Jinping and signed 18 agreements related to trade and infrastructure. China also reportedly pressed the junta chief to speed up efforts to restart suspended components of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), including the Kyaukphyu Deep-sea Port project.
Daw San Htoi, spokesperson for the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT), said Min Aung Hlaing’s decision to bring the chief ministers of the two border states may have been part of a strategy to safeguard Chinese investments and exert pressure amid ongoing conflict in those areas.
“Taking the chief ministers of Kachin and Shan with him may have been aimed at pressuring the Kachin chief minister to carry out whatever China is demanding. It could also be a push to make him pay closer attention to protecting Chinese investments in Kachin State. This may be part of a broader strategic move by the junta,” she said.
She added that divisions have already emerged among local communities in Kachin State over efforts to revive the Myitsone Dam project, with the chief minister himself leading campaigns to persuade the public to support it.
On the other hand, Chinese investment projects in Shan State have remained stalled since allied ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) launched ‘Operation 1027’ against the junta. Many of those projects were halted after the regime lost control of numerous border checkpoints during the fighting.
Stretching for thousands of kilometers, the China-Myanmar border is strategically vital not only in political and territorial terms for Kachin and Shan states, but also for access to rare-earth mining areas and for China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), its vast global infrastructure and development project.
Ko Sai Muang, editor-in-chief of the Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN), said issues such as northern Shan State, Kachin State, rare-earth extraction and the Myitsone Dam would inevitably feature in any future peace talks.
“Questions surrounding northern Shan State, Kachin State, rare-earth extraction and the Myitsone Dam are bound to come up in any upcoming peace talks. Min Aung Hlaing arranged this China trip to present his new administration as a legitimate government and to sign formal business agreements under that image. But, as before, local people are unlikely to see any real benefit materialize from it. There is nothing in this trip that gives the public any reason for hope,” he said.
If the junta moves ahead with projects linked to the CMEC and BRI, there are fears it could accelerate land grabs and road construction in project areas.
Critics also noted that as Min Aung Hlaing tries to use cronies and his chief ministers to revive those projects, local communities increasingly fear the projects will bring more harm than benefit.
