The Myanmar military’s crackdown on the country’s Rohingya minority has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe. Roughly 480,000 Rohingya have fled across the border into neighboring Bangladesh since Aug. 25, desperate to escape the violence. The United States, Europe and global institutions have responded with fairly uniform condemnation. Within the past few weeks, Vice President Mike Pence, British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson and top UN human-rights official Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein have all publicly decried the Myanmar government’s actions.
One country, however, has expressed unwavering public support for the country. China supports Myanmar’s efforts to “uphold peace and stability,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said. To show support for the regime, Beijing opened a liaison office in Naypyidaw, the capital — a step other powerful nations have been reluctant to take because of the city’s isolation and its association with the former ruling junta.
And after UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged Myanmar (a k a Burma) to stop persecuting the Rohingya, a Chinese foreign-ministry spokesperson reminded her audience that Myanmar “is a friendly and close neighbor of China” and that “the Chinese side sincerely hopes that the Rakhine state can restore stability as soon as possible and the local people can live a normal life again.” (Beijing did also say it will send humanitarian aid to Bangladesh.)
China’s support torpedoes the possibility of a UN Security Council resolution imposing sanctions. In March, China vetoed a statement expressing concern about violence against the Rohingya. During the General Assembly, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Guterres that China “understands and supports” Myanmar’s efforts to protect its security.
Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, seems happy to have Beijing on her side. In April, on the occasion of her third official visit to China, the Myanmar journalist Aung Zaw wrote, “It is ironic that Burma’s civilian government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi continues to rely on China to avoid scrutiny of human rights by the UN.”
China has been a veto-casting member of the Security Council since 1971. What’s different now is that China’s wealth and influence make it much easier for Myanmar to ignore Western censure.China is by far Myanmar’s largest trading partner, and its growing global legitimacy means Myanmar is far less likely to feel isolated as long as it has Beijing’s support.
It’s not just Myanmar. China is giving cover to a range of countries that scorn human rights. It can blunt criticism of their actions in international bodies and offer economic support that insulates them from Western pressure.
This month, the president of Iran’s central bank announced that a Chinese state-owned investment firm had provided a $10 billion credit line for Iranian banks, taking the bite out of sanctions and decreasing Tehran’s need to cooperate with President Trump. And despite Beijing’s willingness to sign on to increasingly harsh UN sanctions, China protects North Korea. Roughly 90 percent of that country’s trade goes through China.
This trend will likely only deepen as China’s massive global trade strategy, “One Belt, One Road,” continues to expand, and as Trump continues to alienate nations around the world.
Beijing is increasingly empowering authoritarian-minded leaders in Asia.
The small nation of Cambodia is growing increasingly repressive. This month, Phnom Penh ordered the arrest of the country’s main opposition leader, Kem Sokha, on spurious charges of treason. Asked about the arrest, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said China “supports the Cambodian government’s effort to protect national security and stability.”
Another place to watch is the brutally corrupt nation of Zimbabwe. When I visited in July, some citizens told me they worried civil war would break out after the death of president Robert Mugabe, an ailing 93-year-old who has yet to publicly name a successor. Will Beijing provide cover for the country if it slides into chaos following Mugabe’s death? Probably.
When meeting with Mugabe in January, China’s Xi Jinping said China “will continue to support how Zimbabwe safeguards its national sovereignty, security and development interests.”
“Burma leaders do not need to sweat,” the Myanmar Web site the Irawaddy proclaimed this month. “They have a powerful friend: China.” It’s true with Myanmar, and it may soon be true with many other countries around the world.
Isaac Stone Fish is a journalist and senior fellow at the Asia Society’s Center on US-China Relations.
Special to The Washington Post