BANGKOK — Before Monday’s coup in Myanmar, the country’s relations with China already were complicated by Chinese investments in its infrastructure and the Myanmar military’s campaigns along their shared border.
The coup deposed national leader Aung San Suu Kyi a little over a year after Chinese President Xi Jinping made a show of support to her with the first visit by a head of state from Beijing to Myanmar since 2001 and 33 agreements on a wide range of issues.
The military’s commander in chief, Min Aung Hliang, has taken charge of the new government under a one-year state of emergency.
Even if China played no role at all in ousting Suu Kyi, Beijing is likely to gain still greater sway over the country, analysts say. That’s especially likely if the U.S. and other Western governments impose sanctions to try to punish the regime.
At a briefing on the situation at the United Nations …
