Link to Article: Myanmar Coup: Joe Biden Threatens to Resume Sanctions
Joe Biden has threatened to resume sanctions on Myanmar following the military coup and the suspension of democracy, and called for international solidarity in confronting the country’s generals. The US lifted sanctions on Myanmar in October 2016 after it held elections, established a civilian government and took other steps toward restoring democracy, although targeted sanctions remained on certain military officers.
By contrast, the Chinese foreign affairs spokesperson merely noted the coup and refused to discuss whether China, which has substantial oil and gas interests in Myanmar, had warned against such a move when the Chinese foreign minister met its military leadership last month after the heavy defeat of its proxy party at the polls. In the meeting last month between Myanmar’s military chief, Gen Min Aung Hlaing, who has assumed power, and China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, the general set out his claims that the November election had been fraudulent, citing irregularities that echoed many of the claims made by Donald Trump about his election defeat to Biden in the same month. Champa Patel of the Chatham House thinktank said: “China will not welcome news of the coup. The Chinese have warm relations with [Aung San Suu Kyi] that have deepened as western countries criticized her civilian government’s response to the Rohingya crisis. The military, on the other hand, is perceived as having a more independent streak that sought to balance against Chinese influence.”
Myanmar has had two coups since independence from Britain in 1948, one in 1962 and another in 1988. The country is deeply divided on ethnic grounds, bristling with excess weapons and heavily dependent on overseas aid.