The civil war in Myanmar is in full swing, and the government army has been crushed by many rebel attacks, and it is simply impossible to hold the current front!
The fundamental reason why China is so concerned about the civil war in Myanmar is that China has invested billions of dollars in Myanmar to build a China-Myanmar Economic Corridor and China-Myanmar oil and gas pipelines.
As the civil war in Myanmar continues, another important facility built by China in Myanmar has been implicated, and now the rebels have surrounded the Kyaukphyu Port leased by China in Myanmar.
Kyaukphyu Port is especially important for China!
In fact, the fighting at Kyaukpyu has been going on for months, but before that, both the Burmese army and the rebel Arakan Army were cautiously trying to attack.
Prior to this, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also released a message saying that although the surrounding government forces and anti-government forces are fighting fiercely, the operation of Kyaukphyu Port has not been greatly affected, and the China-Myanmar oil and gas pipeline is also in continuous operation!
Both sides are well aware of the importance of the port of Kyaukphyu, where China is investing billions of dollars to open an offshore oil and gas pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Malacca.
Although the Kyaukphyu port accounts for only about a quarter of China's annual energy imports of oil and gas destined for China, the pipeline is a matter of wartime energy security.
After all, China's other energy transportation channels must pass through the Strait of Malacca, which is controlled by the United States, and once there is a conflict between China and the United States, the United States blocks this vital strait, and China will inevitably have a huge energy crisis!
The Kyaukphyu Port and the China-Myanmar Oil and Gas Pipeline will directly connect oil and gas resources from Myanmar to Yunnan, China, bypassing the vital Strait of Malacca at sea.
In order to open up this oil and gas transportation pipeline from the sea to southwest China, China not only won the 99-year lease of Kyaukphyu Port, but also built an oil and gas transportation pipeline across the east and west of Myanmar, and also built trains and highways for Myanmar.
And with the opening of this pipeline, a China-Myanmar economic corridor across the north and south has also emerged around the pipeline, which has brought huge material replenishment to Myanmar and also brought great benefits to Myanmar's economic development!
Although the aggressive arrival of the local forces and their strong statement to take over the whole of Rakhine State made the situation precarious for government forces near Kyaukphyu Port, the two sides remained restrained in the face of fierce fighting and did not affect the operation of Kyaukphyu Port.
If the warring parties fight a real fire and cause accidental damage to Kyaukphyu Port when both sides are unable to contain it, China will not only be held accountable for this, but it will also affect their profits after occupying it. If the Arakan Army really drives the government forces away, they will also have to rely on the proceeds generated by the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor!
The civil war brings uncertainty to Kyaukpyu Port!
Although the operation of Kyaukphyu Port has not been affected for the time being, some of the supplementary agreements signed by China in recent years were signed with the junta when they occupied the port, and no one dares to say whether the agreements signed with the junta after the Arakan Army reoccupied Kyaukphyu Port will take effect!
It is worth mentioning that China originally signed a lease with Myanmar for 50 years, but only signed an agreement with the Myanmar military government at the end of last year to extend the lease to 99 years!
If the new government refuses to recognize this agreement after its formation, China's interests will be dealt a huge blow! In addition, his political leanings regarding the Arakan Army are quite complicated.
Last year, under the call of the Chinese government, the Arakan Army was also one of the three brothers in the fight against wire fraud in northern Myanmar, but the initial supporter of the Arakan Army was the pro-American Kachin Independence Army, and the two armies have a long experience of fighting side by side, so when the attitude of the Arakan Army is suspicious, the Chinese side can only wait and see what happens in the face of the current situation!
However, it is worth mentioning that during Blinken's visit to China, there were also discussions with China about the current civil war situation in Myanmar, and Blinken wanted to gain China's support in Myanmar.
In fact, the United States has always been very unhappy with the current Burmese military junta, after all, the military junta has always followed a pro-Russian line, so the Americans will support the Kachin Independence Army and provide them with equipment to attack the Burmese government.
After all, Aung San Suu Kyi, supported by the United States, still has a lot of supporters in Myanmar, and everyone can't help but wonder why the United States is obsessed with the affairs of Myanmar.
The United States is 108,000 miles away from Burma, and it is very barren and does not have many minerals and natural resources that the United States values, so the ultimate goal of Myanmar controlled by the United States is probably to add blockage to China's periphery and even want to strengthen the encirclement network against China, so no matter what the final outcome of the Burmese civil war is, China must not let the United States' intentions succeed!