China Says Myanmar Junta Election Stems From Xi-Min Aung Hlaing Deal

China has openly stated that the ongoing junta-organized election—which critics dismiss as a sham designed to entrench military rule—is being held as the result of an agreement between Chinese President Xi Jinping and coup leader Min Aung Hlaing.

On Sunday, the junta held the first of three phases of voting, restricted to areas under its control. Selected media were given access, while observers from key junta allies China, Russia and Belarus were on hand to lend a veneer of legitimacy to the process.

Chinese Special Envoy for Asian Affairs Deng Xijun was among the “junta-friendly” observers in Naypyitaw, the administrative capital. On Monday, he told a press briefing that the polls were the result of an agreement between coup leader Min Aung Hlaing and Chinese President Xi Jinping.