Beijing Tightens Grip on Myanmar, Sinicization on the Border, and More

From Rescue to Recognition

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting Myanmar this week as part of an April 22-26 regional tour that also includes Cambodia and Thailand. The ongoing trip marks his third visit to Myanmar since the 2021 military coup plunged the country into civil war.

Wang arrived just weeks after coup leader Min Aung Hlaing installed himself as president in a managed transition designed to lend a civilian veneer to military rule. His latest visit confers Beijing’s blessing on the new administration and reinforces China’s position as the junta’s main diplomatic lifeline.

Guo Jiakun, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said Beijing aims to strengthen the so-called “Pauk-Phaw” fraternal friendship between the two countries.

“This will bring greater prosperity to the people of the respective nations and make significant contributions to regional peace, stability, and development,” he added.

Wang first traveled to Myanmar in July 2022 for 7th Lancang‑Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The visit signaled an end to Beijing’s initial hesitation in recognizing the junta, as China chose to prioritize its strategic assets in Myanmar over international concerns about democratic legitimacy.

He made his second visit at a critical moment on August 14, 2024, just days after the junta suffered unprecedented battlefield defeats that included the loss of its Northeastern Regional Command in Lashio and dozens of towns. Facing collapse, the regime was rescued by Beijing’s intervention: China pressured ethnic armed groups to halt their offensive, enabling the military to regroup and claw back some territory lost over the past year. Wang’s latest trip to Naypyitaw underscored Beijing’s decisive role in saving the junta, as well as recognizing an illegitimate successor rejected by much of the international community.

Heilongjiang Visit Signals Beijing-Moscow Bridge for Myanmar

China has wasted no time in shoring up ties with Myanmar’s generals after Min Aung Hlaing installed himself as president, dispatching a steady stream of envoys to the new regime. The latest was Xu Qin, Heilongjiang’s top Communist Party official, who met the regime chief on Tuesday in Naypyitaw.

Regime outlets said talks touched on “Pauk‑Phaw” relations, China’s five principles of peaceful coexistence, and building a “shared future.” Cooperation pledges spanned science, industry, agriculture, security, tourism, healthcare, youth, education, and energy. Fuel loomed large: with Middle East supplies disrupted by war, Min Aung Hlaing recently sent his energy minister to Russia and China to secure discounted oil and gas. The minister also proposed forming a tripartite energy committee with Russia and China to tackle Myanmar’s deepening fuel crisis.

Xu’s visit highlighted Heilongjiang’s unique role as a province bordering Russia—making it a critical bridge in Beijing’s effort to embed Myanmar within a broader Sino‑Russian framework.

China Signs New Deals to Shore Up Myanmar’s Struggling Economy

Separately, Xu met regime‑appointed Yangon Region Chief Minister Aung Naing Thu to oversee the signing of cooperation agreements between Chinese and Myanmar enterprises—though details of the deals were not disclosed.

On Monday, Yangon also hosted a Guangdong‑Myanmar economic and trade exchange, held alongside a showcase of investment opportunities within the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macau Greater Bay Area. The same day, the Union of Myanmar Travel Association and Heilongjiang’s Provincial Tourism Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding to boost tourism cooperation. Regime media greeted the agreement with China’s northernmost province as a significant step for Myanmar tourism, which has been crippled by the dual impact of Covid-19 and civil war.

China remains a leading investor in Myanmar despite Western sanctions and capital flight since the 2021 coup. According to regime data, Beijing committed about US$ 160 million between April 2025 and February 2026. Yet overall foreign investment fell sharply to $472.6 million in fiscal 2025-2026, down from $690.1 million the previous year.

Tourism mirrored that decline. Myanmar recorded around 973,000 foreign visitors in 2025, down from 1.06 million in 2024, with Chinese travelers making up more than a quarter of arrivals. Both trends underscore the regime’s growing reliance on Beijing as investment and tourism continue to shrink in post-coup Myanmar.

Wang Presses Cambodia on Scam Crackdown

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Cambodia to intensify its crackdown on online scam operations, calling for their “complete eradication” during talks with Prime Minister Hun Manet in Phnom Penh on Thursday.

Wang stressed that cross‑border gambling and online fraud must be “resolutely cracked down on and completely eradicated.” His remarks follow mounting international pressure on Cambodia over large‑scale scam compounds, where rights groups estimate tens of thousands work—some voluntarily, others as trafficking victims.

In January, Cambodia arrested and extradited Chinese national Chen Zhi, alleged mastermind of one of Asia’s largest online scam networks. He is accused of running multiple scam compounds through his company Prince Group in Cambodia. Subsequently, Cambodian police raided a major fraud compound in Bavet, Svay Rieng Province, detaining 2,044 foreigners. Nearly 1,800 detainees were Chinese nationals, alongside 179 from Myanmar.

The anti-scam campaign also dominated Wang’s meeting with with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Friday, with both sides pledging stronger collaboration against transnational crime, cyberscams and related threats, according to Thai media.

Under Chinese pressure, the junta demolished notorious scam centers there in October, while Beijing said last month that more than 1,500 suspects had been repatriated under the trilateral mechanism launched in early 2025.