Myanmar Is What Happens When China Fills a Vacuum
Key takeaways
- Min Aung Hlaing was appointed as the president of Myanmar in early April, formalizing a de facto grip on power that he has held for more than five years.
- For many ordinary citizens, members of the diaspora, and those in the resistance, the election changes nothing; the war is not over.
- Post-conflict elections in other countries, including Nepal, Cambodia, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have attracted Chinese financial support.
Gen. Min Aung Hlaing was appointed as the president of Myanmar in early April, formalizing a de facto grip on power that he has held for more than five years. This week, he walks a red carpet in Beijing, the capstone in a whirlwind of diplomatic engagements that have legitimized his installation in the top civilian office following an election that was far from free or fair held over December and January.
For many ordinary citizens, members of the diaspora, and those in the resistance, the election changes nothing; the war is not over. This claimed transition from military to civilian rule is nonetheless instructive as an early example of the cost of Western disengagement in fragile institutions. The election was sponsored by China and offers another data point to illustrate Beijing’s mode of operating in fragile or failed states where traditional Western partners have withdrawn their involvement.
Gen. Min Aung Hlaing was appointed as the president of Myanmar in early April, formalizing a de facto grip on power that he has held for more than five years. This week, he walks a red carpet in Beijing, the capstone in a whirlwind of diplomatic engagements that have legitimized his installation in the top civilian office following an election that was far from free or fair held over December and January.