Myanmar Military Chief Praises China as ‘Eternal Friend’

Myanmar military chief Gen. Min Aung Hlaing thanked China for countering international pressure on Myanmar over the Rohingya crisis. He praised the Asian Giant as an 'eternal friend' and a 'strategic partner country'.

The military chief described China as a good neighbour for its correct stance and standing against the international community over the Rakhine State issue. Since August 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh to escape a military crackdown triggered by coordinated attacks on security posts in Rakhine by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. The United Nations called the military's actions a 'textbook example of ethnic cleansing'.

In 2018, China voted against the UN Human Rights Council's move to establish a body to investigate possible genocide in Myanmar.