The country that became a problem for China’s new Silk Road

The civil war in Burma made the project more complex China to promote its New Silk Road .

The country of President Xi Jinping has invested millions of dollars to develop a trade corridor in the neighboring territory with which it shares a border of almost 2,000 kilometers.

However, His plan was interrupted by the February 2021 coup. .

Since then, The military regime and various opposition groups have clashed take control.

This scenario has led China to maintain strict border controls .

On the other hand, Within Myanmar, travel is also difficult. .

The war led to the recording thousands of dead while millions of people have been displaced.

Despite the multiple consequences, analysts consulted by the BBC they declared that the end of the conflict seems far away .

Myanmar Advisor to the International Crisis Group Richard Horsey said that Chinese government ‘doesn’t like this situation’ .

He assured that Myanmar’s military has lost between half and two-thirds of its territory to opposing factions. and suggested that Beijing authorities consider military leader Min Aung Hlaing “incompetent.”

“They are pushing for that elections take place, not because they necessarily want to return to a democratic regime, but rather because they think that this is a way of returning to the current state of affairs. ” said the expert.

Myanmar is located in the southwest corner of China and it is fundamental in Xi Jinping’s program to boost its commercial activities.

The latter is due to the fact that, across its entire territory, They hope to connect the country to the Indian Ocean .

It is good to remember that the southwest of China is landlocked .

Therefore, having this way promises to be the key to strengthening your business .

Although China exerts influence over both the regime and some opposition leaders, The ceasefire they negotiated in January 2024 ultimately failed .

The tensions led his forces to wage military exercises along the border, amid frustration at not being able to advance their project stagnant since the start of the civil war.

Xi Jinping’s government had been trying for years to strengthen ties with Myanmar when elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi was forced from power.

At that moment, The president refused to condemn the coup and his country continued to sell arms to the neighboring army.

Nevertheless, He also did not recognise Min Aung Hlaind as head of state. and, according to various analysts, several opposition groups also have access to Chinese weapons.

Myanmar, besides being relevant for its connection with the Indian Ocean, It is rich in natural resources .

Border areas such as Ruili (China) and Muse (Myanmar) are important for the Beijing-funded trade route, which covers 1,700 kilometers and is known as the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor.

The project also includes investments in energy, infrastructure and mining, a key sector for the manufacture of electric vehicles like those produced by China.

“The only reason the rebel groups did not put pressure on Muse is because they They were afraid this would upset China. ” Horsey told the aforementioned media outlets.

According to his analysis, “the fighting there would have affected the investments that China hopes to revive for months.”

“The (Myanmar) regime lost control of almost all of northern Shan State, except for the Muse region, located just outside Ruili. “.

China’s plans also consider a railway line that will connect Kunming – the capital of the Chinese province of Yunnan – to Kyaukphyu, a port where they work on the west coast of Myanmar.

These facilities will enable industries in Ruili and its surrounding areas to access global markets .

In addition, the port is a starting point for oil and gas pipelines that will transport energy to Yunnan .

The beginning of the civil war urged China to maintain the border separation measures it had previously adopted while the Covid-19 pandemic was at its peak.

The Chinese city of Ruili (Yunnan province) is located near Muse (Shan State, Burma).

It is about one of the main border posts between the two territories and an important point on the commercial level, which continues to be controlled by the military regime.

Local residents told the BBC that the clashes had forced them to pass through. an acute economic crisis .

A woman named Li Mianzhen sells food and drinks at a market in Ruili, because The situation in Myanmar no longer allows it to gather sufficient resources there. .

He told the aforementioned media that he was aware people who crossed the border in order to earn the equivalent of a dollar and then return to Myanmar and “feed their families”

To move, They have to obtain special work permits, so those who cannot do so are looking for other methods. to cross the border.

While Li Mianzhen is working at Ruili, his family is confined to the city of Mandalay the second largest in Myanmar.

Another person who was able to leave is Zin Aung, who works at an industrial park on the outskirts of Ruili .

There they produce clothing, electronics and vehicle parts which are then shipped to different parts of the globe.

According to the aforementioned media outlets, employees like him – who preferred to protect his real name – are recruited in Myanmar by companies that have the support of the Chinese government and transfer them to reduce labor costs .

They receive lower salaries than their colleagues from this country, around 2,400 yuan, or about $450 a month .

In the words of Zin Aung, “We have no business in Myanmar because of the war” .

“Everything is expensive. Rice, cooking oil. There is intense fighting everywhere. Everyone must flee (…) The situation in Myanmar is not good, that’s why we are taking refuge here,” he said, later adding that he had been able to escape compulsory recruitment imposed by the military regime.