BEIJING - China has mediated peace talks between Myanmar’s ruling military and rebel groups, and the parties agreed on a temporary ceasefire and to maintain dialogue, Beijing said on Thursday.
The fighting, largely in northern Shan state, has caused worry in neighbouring China. Around 300,000 people have been displaced since a rebel offensive began on Oct 27, according to the United Nations, which says more than 2 million people have been made homeless since Myanmar’s military coup in February 2021.
The talks were held in China in recent days, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement, without giving more details.
China hopes that the parties concerned in Myanmar will implement the agreements and the consensus reached, exercise maximum restraint and take the initiative to ease the situation on the ground, it said.
“China has been working tirelessly to stop the war and promote talks among the relevant parties in Myanmar, and has pushed for the de-escalation and cooling-down of the situation,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.
Mao said there had been a marked decline in the number of clashes and exchanges of fire in northern Myanmar, “which not only serves the interests of the relevant parties in Myanmar, but also contributes to the maintenance of tranquillity along the China-Myanmar border”.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has been trying for more than two years to find a resolution to the conflict in Myanmar, but its efforts have been completely ignored by the junta.
Thailand, which faces the prospect of thousands more refugees crossing its borders, earlier this year attempted to engage Myanmar in informal talks, a move that some saw as a threat to Asean unity.
Myanmar’s military had said on Monday that it had met with the rebels and other parties in the conflict, and another round of talks was due by the end of the month, without elaborating.
On Wednesday, however, the ethnic minority insurgent alliance reaffirmed its commitment to defeat the “dictatorship”, and made no mention of peace talks or a ceasefire.
The so-called Brotherhood Alliance comprises three groups — the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army (AA).