An insider close to the MNDAA told The Epoch Times that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is behind the recent offensives by regional militant groups in northern Myanmar. This comes as the country participates in China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” and has faced escalating civil war since the military junta took power in 2021.
On Nov. 13, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) attacked Rathedaung and Minbya, seizing control from the ruling military junta and forcing thousands of civilians to flee to neighboring India. President of Myanmar has said that Myanmar is on the verge of breaking up, as the government forces failed to defeat the rebels.
Fighting has been raging in northern Myanmar, where the MNDAA, Arakan Army, and Ta’ang National Liberation Army have coordinated a series of attacks against the military junta since the end of October. The CCP is believed to have sponsored this alliance in an effort to bolster its influence over Myanmar.
The MNDAA has historical ties with China, which extended to providing support and military assistance to its leaders. The CCP’s interest in the region’s geopolitics comes as it seeks to restore its control through Belt and Road projects.
China and Myanmar’s China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) is a part of the CCP’s Belt and Road Initiative, encompassing energy policies, natural gas, and crude oil pipelines, Kyaukphyu Port, and a special economic zone. Amid an inward-looking military coup, China’s diminishing influence in Myanmar has prompted the CCP to back these offensives, signaling its aspirations to maintain an overarching influence over Myanmar.