The China-ASEAN summit begins without a representative from Myanmar ASEAN news

China is meeting with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for its annual summit, saying member states have rejected Beijing’s request to join Myanmar’s chief general.

A virtual summit organized by Chinese President Xi Jinping began on Monday without a representative in Myanmar, according to Reuters.

This is the second time in a month that ASEAN has excluded Myanmar’s commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing from the region’s summit.

The general on February 1 ousted the elected government of the National League of Democracy (NLD) and oversaw a savage crackdown on peaceful protesters, which plunged Myanmar into civil war.

The 10-member ASEAN led diplomatic efforts to end the crisis, an agreement with Min Aung Hlaing in April to remove civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and include talks with the detainee. But the military did not comply with the agreement, and ASEAN took revenge by banning Min Aung Hlaingi from its summit.

The decision is unprecedented for a group of countries that emphasize intervention in internal affairs and have little track record of democracy.

According to Reuters, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei were the ones who refused China’s request to join China’s Min Aung Hlaing summit on Monday and ASEAN. An Indonesian diplomat told the news agency that his position was that only a “non-political” person should be represented at Myanmar’s ASEAN summits.

Although Beijing seems to have accepted the decision, the push to include the general has shaken the region’s geopolitical pot.

Josh Kurlantzick, a member of the Southeast Asia Foreign Relations Council, said he did not take China’s lobby as a sign that Min Aung Hlaing was warming up to Beijing’s Myanmar military government at Monday’s summit.

He described the military’s takeover of Myanmar as “mostly a disaster for Beijing”.

“I think China is very happy with the situation in Myanmar, and wants to work with ASEAN to try to bring something closer to Myanmar, finally to the situation before the coup, which was much better for China,” he said.

The coups and subsequent internal conflicts have caused instability, threatened China’s business interests, sparked a rise in COVID-19 cases, and sparked old civil wars in border regions.

Aaron Connelly, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Southeast Asia, said China is grateful that ASEAN has refused to allow Min Aung Hlaingi.

“If the international legitimacy of the junta were a priority in Beijing, I don’t think we would have seen this decision so easily accepted,” he said.

Connelly noted that China has also approved an agreement to continue Kyaw Moe Tun as ambassador to the United Nations in Myanmar, despite pledging allegiance to the overthrown government and accusing the military of treason.

“There is a deep chill between Min Aung Hlaing and Chinese leaders, which has not changed as quickly as some have expected, although both have taken a transactional approach to diplomacy,” he added.

‘So bad’

Anti-Myanmar military figures were not surprised by the Chinese movement, including Dr. Sasa, a spokesman for the National Unity Government (NUG). NUG members were nominated by MPs elected in the 2020 vote, and the NLD won, but the military refused to recognize them.

Sasa said it was “so wrong” to invite China to the summit of Min Aung Hlaing.

“Myanmar’s military junta does not have the support of the people of ASEAN and does not offer anything good to China or ASEAN other than these horrific crises and chaos,” he said.

In contrast, Sasa said the people of Myanmar can bring “peace, prosperity and stability” to the region. “It is an opportunity between the people of Myanmar and the military junta in Myanmar,” he said.

Renowned activist and protest leader Thinzar Shunlei Yi said the Chinese movement “makes it clear” that the regional superpower “wants to influence ASEAN and the region politically, security or the economy.” Min Aung Hlaing praised ASEAN’s “historic decision” to exclude it from last month’s summit and said other countries should be inspired rather than undermined by that decision.

“China must be respected [the] ASEAN Summit and hear the voice of the people of Myanmar, ”he said.

The UK, in particular, has followed ASEAN’s leadership for a staff meeting between the G7 and ASEAN foreign ministers in London in December. The Myanmar army will not be able to attend unless only a “non-political representative” is allowed via video.

Charles Santiago, a Malaysian lawmaker and chairman of the ASEAN Parliament for Human Rights, denounced China’s attempt to “prevail over satisfaction” in a statement. He accused the Myanmar army of trying to “gain legitimacy through China”, a country that lacks respect for human rights, and called on ASEAN states not to become “puppets of China”.

But Santiago said the move presents ASEAN with “an important challenge and opportunity”.

“Our leaders need to hold the line and show the world a whole new and tougher view of Myanmar,” he said, urging the regime to ban all ASEAN-related meetings to prevent generals from traveling in the region. and ASEAN opening a formal dialogue with the NUG.

Santiago also told Al Jazeera that ASEAN leaders hoped to raise the issue of a “continuous invasion of Chinese ships” in Southeast Asian waters. He accused China of sending “soldiers disguised as fishermen.” A recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Analysis said a Chinese naval militia is patrolling the South China Sea, blocking other ships and supporting China’s controversial territorial claims. The theme has been a special point for the Philippines and Malaysia.

Both Connelly and Kurlantzick expect South China Sea issues to be a priority for China in Southeast Asia. They said Beijing wants to use its political lever over Cambodia to sit next to ASEAN in the next chair to thwart any criticism of its increasingly aggressive approach.

Connelly said Cambodia may still have “some room for maneuver” around the Myanmar crisis, but China will have “stronger views” on how Cambodia can handle the South China Sea conflict.

Kurlantzick said China hopes to use Cambodia on the issue “to sow disagreement with ASEAN.”

“Given Cambodia’s proximity to China, I believe Beijing will use Cambodia [again] To stop any ASEAN consensus on the South China Sea, ”Cambodia said.

Kurlantzick said China also wants to improve relations with ASEAN and present it as a more reliable economic partner than the United States.

“I believe that China also wants to clearly renew its strategic ties with ASEAN with a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and also strongly announces that, unlike the US, China is closely involved in the broad economic integration that is currently taking place in Southeast Asia. “he said. .