By Shannon Tiezzi
Myanmar’s deputy commander-in-chief visits China for talks, with joint border security high on the agenda.
A high-ranking defense official from Myanmar visited Beijing for talks this week. Vice Senior General Soe Win, Myanmar’s deputy commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces and army commander-in-chief, and Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the PLA General Staff, led the second strategic and security consultation between their two countries on Monday. Soe Win also met with Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan.
According to Chinese media, the main topic under discussion was border security. Violent clashes between armed ethnic rebel groups and Myanmar’s military caused turmoil near the China-Myanmar border this spring. Tens of thousands of refugees – estimates ranged from 30,000 all the way up to 100,000 – crossed from Myanmar into China to escape the violence.
The fighting spilled across the border as well, with a number of bombs landing in Chinese territory. In March 2015, an air strike by the Myanmar Air Force accidentally hit a sugarcane field in China’s Yunnan province, killing five Chinese citizens. In response, China’s Defense Ministry dispatched jets to the border to “track, monitor, warn and chase away” Myanmar Air Force fighters. General Fan Changlong, vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, warned that China’s military “will take resolute measures to protect the safety of Chinese people.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat