In recent months, China’s influence on Myanmar’s armed resistance has grown significantly. Beyond its routine support for the regime, the neighboring superpower has taken more direct actions. Clashes in northern Shan State have been evidently slowed, if not entirely contained, with China pressuring the MNDAA and TNLA. Meanwhile, the regime is set to receive Chinese funding and advanced drone support, and Chinese private military contractors are said to have been brought into the country to secure its investment projects.
From the outset, the resistance has understood that this is our war to fight, without relying on external intervention. Our focus has been on finding ways to procure arms and defend against airstrikes that indiscriminately target children and civilians. However, China’s recent actions suggest that it is treating Myanmar’s conflict as its own, shifting from a neighborly investor to an active participant. If China continues to escalate its backing of the regime with funds, manpower, and weaponry, it risks destabilizing its own strategic interests and investments in the resistance-strong regions. At the same time, we must urgently draw international attention to this growing threat.
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