Members of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) were shown in a video expressing their loyalty to Chinese leader Xi Jinping. After 70 days of fighting, the pro-communist MNDAA, an armed ethnic rebellion force, took control of the Kokang region from the ruling military junta in northern Myanmar, known as Burma. The MNDAA launched an attack on October 27, 2023, eventually capturing Laukkai, the capital of Kokang. The Burmese military junta surrendered, and more than 2,000 enemy casualties and 4,000 prisoners, including six brigadier generals, were reported.
The captured city was pivotal in bringing control under the MNDAA. The report was confirmed by Myanmar’s military junta after local commanders surrendered control of Laukkai, citing safety concerns for military families and considering Myanmar’s relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). A stray artillery shell injuring five people on Chinese soil during the fighting between the Burmese military junta and MNDAA prompted the CCP to demand a ceasefire and begin diplomatic protests.
The MNDAA has continued to gain ground in Myanmar since October, working with other ethnic armed groups to fight the military junta. Known for Chinese backing, the MNDAA is now led by Peng Daxun, whose father, Pheung Kya-shin, had previously received support from the CCP. The conflict brought the MNDAA under the CCP’s radar, leading to a meeting with a member of the Chinese leadership in Myanmar in efforts to cooperate in the “Belt and Road Initiative” and the “China-Myanmar Economic Corridor.”
The alliance between the MNDAA and the CCP was reinforced when a video circulated online showing Peng Daxun and other officers studying Xi Jinping’s Selected Works. The CCP, focusing on its Belt and Road Initiative, realizes the importance of Myanmar. The MNDAA was funded by China in an effort to regain control over the northern region of Myanmar. Relations deteriorating between the warlords in Myanmar and the CCP has driven the CCP to support the MNDAA. This support is an attempt to regain geopolitical control and influence over Myanmar.