Myanmar's government praised China on Wednesday for suspending a Chinese bank account used by ethnic rebels fighting Myanmar troops, in a move to prevent potential damage to diplomatic ties. Reuters has revealed that an ethnic rebel armed group fighting Myanmar forces near the Chinese border had been openly soliciting funds via China's giant state-owned lender Agricultural Bank of China (AgBank).
Myanmar's peace process started under the previous semi-civilian administration has lost momentum after Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi came to power in 2016, with some of the militias accusing her of a one-sided approach and refusing to join a major peace conference. Rela-tions with China have been strained by the ethnic conflicts spilling over the border, and some observers say Beijing uses ethnically Chinese insurgent groups as a means of leverage over Myanmar.
The decision to suspend AgBank was welcomed by Suu Kyi's government. Zaw Htay shared the Reuters story on his widely-followed Facebook page and Twitter accounts, tagging key negotiators in Myanmar's peace process. The account was suspended over the weekend, shortly after Reuters had sent AgBank a list of questions regarding the transactions. -Reuters
-Simon Cameron-Moore
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