Myanmar junta pledges deeper China ties after disputed election

Mizzima

The Myanmar junta used the Chinese Lunar New Year to reaffirm its strategic and economic ties with China. The move follows last month’s controversial general elections.

State media reported remarks made by Vice-Senior General Soe Win at a celebration held in Yangon on 14 February, wherein the junta deputy leader pledged to deepen strategic and economic cooperation with China.

The general reportedly said the “newly elected government” would work to expand bilateral ties under what both sides call a “Myanmar-China Community with a Shared Future”. His remarks come as the junta seeks regional backing amid ongoing conflict and international isolation.

The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) – widely perceived as a proxy party for the junta – was declared the election winner in January 2026 after securing an overwhelming parliamentary majority in the elections.

Opposition groups and UN experts have criticised the elections, labelling them a sham. Major democratic parties were barred, many constituencies remained under martial law, and millions of people displaced by fighting were unable to vote.

According to state media, Soe Win reaffirmed Myanmar’s commitment to the One-China policy and highlighted Chinese-backed infrastructure projects, including the Kyaukpyu deep-sea port, oil and gas pipelines, and railway links connecting Muse, Mandalay and Kyaukpyu. The railway corridor is considered a key component of Beijing’s access to the Indian Ocean.

China’s ambassador to Myanmar, Ma Jia, said bilateral trade rose by 19 percent last year. At the same time, Chinese investment increased by 230 percent. The ambassador credited high-level exchanges between the two governments for the growth.

Beijing has maintained close relations with Myanmar’s military since the February 2021 coup. Indeed, China has positioned itself as a key diplomatic and economic partner as Western governments have sought to isolate the junta and impose sanctions in response to widespread reports of human rights abuses by the junta,

Over the past five years, the junta has faced considerable battlefield losses in personnel and territory in its fight against resistance forces and ethnic armed groups. UN figures estimate thousands of civilians have been killed and millions displaced since the coup.

State media has reported that under the 2008 military-drafted constitution, the newly elected parliament will convene soon, and a president will be elected in early April.

Rights groups and the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) have rejected the election outcome and urged the international community not to recognise any administration formed under the junta-led process.