China to hold 3-day live-fire military drills near Myanmar border
- Southern Theatre Command says troops are going to Ruili and Zhenkang in Yunnan province to ‘maintain safety and stability’
The drill area has been defined by points that include the city of Ruili, near the townships of Huyu and Wanding, Zhenkang county near Mengdui township, as well as the autonomous county of Gengma Dai and Wa near Mengding township.
In its announcement on Monday, the provincial government said that vehicles and personnel entering the defined area should follow traffic control regulations, suggesting that access has not been blocked.
“The purpose is to test the theatre troops’ abilities in rapid mobility, three-dimensional containment and joint combat, to maintain the safety and stability of the border areas,” the PLA statement said.
The live-fire drill comes amid escalating fighting on multiple fronts within Myanmar, where the military government extended a state of emergency for another six months at the end of July to try and maintain its grip on power.
PLA commentator Song Zhongping said this week’s drill was aimed at preventing any potential issues from Myanmar’s civil war and to ensure China’s border security.
Myanmar’s northern Shan state, which borders China, has been the main battleground in the unrest.
A coalition of rebel militias, the Three Brotherhood Alliance, has been leading strikes there since last October, in a major challenge to the military junta that overthrew the country’s democratically elected government in 2021.
In January, five people in the town of Nansan in Yunnan were wounded by shelling from across the border, prompting Beijing to protest and call for a ceasefire in Myanmar.
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According to Song, the PLA drill “is highly targeted”. China was “very concerned about the peace and stability of the region and even more about the security of its border”, he said.
Song added that China had significant investments in Myanmar which could be at risk from domestic conflict. “Only with border security can the economic development of the region be ensured.”
Myanmar has also played an important role in China’s ambitions for direct access to the Indian Ocean, as Beijing seeks to reduce dependence on the narrow chokepoints of the Strait of Malacca for its oil imports.
Zhou Bo, a retired PLA senior colonel, said China would oppose any conflict from Myanmar spreading into its own territory, adding that Beijing was also trying to act as a peace broker.
“China hopes to be a good mediator, but it’s not easy for them to reach a consensus on their own,” Zhou said.
Beijing held two live-fire drills in April on its border with Myanmar as security concerns grew. At the time, military mouthpiece the PLA Daily said the Chinese army would take “all necessary measures” to protect the safety of its people.
Last week during his meeting with Julie Bishop, special envoy of the UN secretary general on Myanmar, Wang said: “No other country wants Myanmar to restore stability and realise development more than China.”
