Souring ties? Myanmar official accuses China of meddling in rebel peace talks
The rare public criticism exposes growing tensions between the two nations as the Southeast Asian country seeks to reduce its dependence on Beijing and become more international
A top negotiator in Myanmar's peace talks with ethnic rebels has accused neighbouring China of derailing a nationwide ceasefire deal last week that would have brought Japan and Western nations in as observers to monitor an end to decades of conflict.
Beijing has denied the accusation but the rare public criticism exposes growing tensions between China and the Southeast Asian nation, which has sought to reduce its dependence on Beijing and build relations across the globe since a reformist government took power in 2011.
Min Zaw Oo, a senior official at the government-linked Myanmar Peace Centre, which coordinates talks to quell the patchwork of insurgencies that have lingered in Myanmar since independence in 1948, said China's special envoy pressed two key rebel groups not to sign the peace accord.
After Sun Guoxiang's intervention, only eight out of 15 groups that were invited by the government committed to the agreement. Some of the other groups are headed by ethnic Chinese commanders, and have received funding and support from Beijing in the past.
“China usually says they want stability. Of course they want stability but at the same time, they want to wield influence on the groups along the Chinese border,” Min Zaw Oo said.
