July 8, 2024
During a visit to China, Myanmar junta Deputy Leader Soe Win announced efforts to hold elections by 2025. He made this statement while meeting with Chinese authorities, amid ongoing domestic challenges and increasing attacks on junta bases by resistance forces.
Soe Win departed from Naypyidaw on July 6 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Green Development Forum in Qingdao, Shandong Province. The forum took place on July 7, where he not only discussed election preparations but also presented a five-point plan for peaceful coexistence.
The junta’s information department reported that Soe Win met with Shen Yueyue, Vice Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, on July 7. They discussed bilateral cooperation on border security, online gambling, and drug eradication. Additionally, they addressed the status of Chinese investments and projects in Myanmar.
The visit comes as the junta faces intensified conflicts with ethnic armed groups along the Chinese border and an impending expiration of the emergency declaration at the end of July 2024. Soe Win’s discussions aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation and securing Chinese support for the junta’s plans.
In late June, former Myanmar President Thein Sein visited Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss similar issues.
