August 16, 2024
On August 14, 2024, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Myanmar’s junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, in Naypyidaw. However, the statements released by the Chinese government and the Myanmar military junta regarding the visit show significant discrepancies.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially stated that Wang Yi emphasized China’s friendship policy toward Myanmar, which is intended to benefit all of Myanmar’s people. This sentiment, however, was notably absent from the junta’s official communication.
The junta’s media reported that Wang Yi condemned the attacks on villages in northern Shan State by ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), but this statement does not appear in the official release from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Additionally, while the junta’s media claimed that the Chinese government expressed support for the upcoming general elections planned by the junta, this was not mentioned in the Chinese government’s official statement.
Instead, the Chinese government’s statement highlighted China’s support for Myanmar’s sovereignty, political reconciliation, democratic transition, and opposition to any foreign interference. It also noted Wang Yi’s opposition to any defamatory actions against China, though this was not included in the junta’s narrative.
The clear discrepancies between the statements issued by the two sides are evident, with the Chinese government’s official release being shared on August 15, 2024, via the Chinese government-run Xinhua News Agency’s Burmese-language page and the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar’s social media channels.
