Worried China brainstorms Myanmar situation

New Delhi: China has held a closed-door meeting of top Communist party functionaries, bureaucrats, scholars and foreign policy experts amid its growing concerns over the Myanmar situation impacting Beijing's economic interests and its outreach.

The participants were largely of the view that the current situation in Myanmar was extremely critical with the Junta being unprecedentedly vulnerable, and thus not in a position to protect Chinese interests in the countries or deliver on Sino-Myanmar relations, ET has learnt.

However, most of the participants of the meeting held in Kunming in December also agreed that there was very little chance of Myanmar going the 'Syria way'. Further, they also opined that the Junta would continue to hold complete control over all the big cities like Yangon, Naypyitaw and Mandalay but Beijing should also nurture rebel groups to safeguard Chinese interests, according to persons familiar with the meeting.


The participants also noted that the Junta was on the verge of losing control over the Rakhine State. Based on these discussions, the participants supported the idea that in the wake of the above "stalemate", China should strengthen its relationship with both the Junta and the Ethnic Armed Organisations and marginalise the "West-supported PDFs".