Myanmar Junta backs Beijing amid tensions with US over COVID-19 origins

As the US-China spat over COVID-19 origins refuses to die down, Myanmar Junta has decided to stand by Beijing, saying the search "should not blame or put political pressure on other countries."

As the US-China spat over COVID-19 origins refuses to die down, Myanmar Junta has decided to stand by Beijing, saying the search "should not blame or put political pressure on other countries." The military leadership also urged countries to step up cooperation in the fight against new variants of the virus and called on vaccine-producing countries to trade with, support, and provide assistance to other countries, especially developing countries, to promote vaccine production, The Irrawaddy reported.

This statement comes in the light of China's rejection of a US report tracing the origins of the virus. Beijing also lodged solemn representations with Washington terming the report as "completely political, and having no scientificity and credibility." "China has lodged solemn representations with the US over a so-called virus origins tracing report by the US intelligence community that is completely political, fake, having no scientificity and credibility," said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, as quoted by Global Times.

In a strongly-worded statement, Ma said the US should "stop poisoning" the international cooperation on virus tracing and return to the correct path of scientific origins tracing and cooperation in the fight against the pandemic. Beijing's reaction follows the declassified summary of a report commissioned by US President Joe Biden revealed that the US Intelligence Community (IC) assesses that the origins of the novel coronavirus disease may never be definitively identified without additional information.

The US intelligence community is still divided about which of the two theories -- that the virus came from a lab leak or that it jumped from animal to human, naturally, the report said. According to the Southeast Asia news website, the Myanmar regime's attempt to show solidarity with Beijing on the COVID probe may be a sign of gratitude for China's aid on vaccines. "Or the junta may simply have wanted to please its northern neighbor in return for the protection that Beijing (along with Russia) has provided it on the Security Council by vetoing critical resolutions by the West," the report said.

Unmoved by the international consensus on global issues with serious consequences, the foreign policy of the Chinese regime assumes that the established ruling power in a country is the legitimate ruling power, according to a report in The Epoch Times. Showing disregard for the global consensus, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) engages with actors like Myanmar military junta and Taliban, keeping its economic agenda in mind.

Antonio Graceffo, China's economic analyst said Beijing tends to avoid foreign entanglements and is not interested in changing regimes and only in maintaining stability. "China's policy of non-interface also allows them to fund foreign terrorist organization, to protect Chinese interests, which it sees as a legitimate business expense," he added. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)