In pitching itself as an alternative global leader to the United States, China repeatedly stresses that it practices a “policy of noninterference.” That was the message Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi promoted when he visited neighboring Myanmar in August 2024: Despite the “chaos and conflict” of the country’s civil war, Beijing opposes “any interference in Myanmar’s internal affairs by outside forces,” he said. Since that visit, however, the nation that has attempted most brazenly to interfere in Myanmar’s affairs is China, according to community activists, rebel leaders and diplomats in Myanmar, as well as conflict analysts and officials in Southeast Asia. “China’s involvement in Myanmar has been a bit shocking,” said Charles Santiago, a former Malaysian lawmaker who co-chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Parliamentarians for Human Rights. “The clout they’ve been willing to wield is phenomenal.”

Full report : Defense analysts say Beijing’s effort to secure its interests is deepening the political crisis in Myanmar.