Beijing: An anti-China mood is prevailing in Myanmar which till recently was regarded as one of the closest ally of the Communist nation and Beijing should be on guard against an anti-China wave there, a state-run daily warned on Tuesday.
“Special vigilance should be maintained about the fact that anti-China sentiment is spreading fast in Myanmar society,” an article in the Global Times said.
“We should be on guard against an anti-China wave in which large-scale cooperation projects could be damaged, the security of Chinese staff in Myanmar threatened and the bilateral relationship bogged down”, it said.
The article identified anti-China riots in Vietnam last month and constant criticism of Beijing by the emerging private media in Myanmar as the main reasons for prevalence of anti-China mood in the country.
“One is the anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam in May. Another is the abduction of two Chinese workers by local radical activists at the Letpadaung cooper mine, a China-Myanmar joint venture beset with local protests in recent years. Moreover, China-bashing articles published by Myanmar’s private media have been on the rise recently”, it said.
During the long period of military rule, China invested a great deal in Myanmar, specially infrastructure projects which included gas pipelines connected the two neighbours.
“Because of China’s previously good relationship with the junta, many Myanmese tend to vent their grudge over the country’s former military rule toward China”, it said.
In order to improve the image wide spectrum of communication among politicians, business people, scholars, media professionals and NGOS, who are the major forces to cement ties, it said.
“China also needs to regulate and improve the performance of Chinese enterprises and their staff, cracking down on law-breaking and supervising their corporate responsibilities.
China-Myanmar economic cooperation should move from the resource field to agricultural, processing and manufacturing sectors”, it said.
“For the Myanmar side, the private media needs to report China without prejudice. A relationship of mutual benefit and mutual prosperity is in the interests of both sides”, the article said. (PTI)
