Naypyitaw: According to a report by Licas News, China is dispensing funds and sophisticated weaponry to armed groups in Myanmar and the Naypitaw-designated terrorist groups, the Arakan Army, to have leverage over Myanmar and India.
China is providing 95 per cent of the Arakan Army funding and the army has approximately 50 of the MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defense Systems) surface-to-air missiles.
“An object lesson in diplo-terrorism is the leverage over Myanmar and India that China gained by arming the Arakan Army, operating in the corridor form North-East India over Myanmar’s Chin and Rakhine states to the Indian Ocean,” according to Licas News reported.
According to a source, “This strategy of supporting the Arakan Army has enabled the Chinese to expand its area of influence towards western Myanmar that is, the India-Myanmar border.”
“China is playing a multi-dimensional game in South Asia. China wants to weaken India. India is in a war with Pakistan and does not want to make a new enemy of Myanmar,” said an Australian academic.
It is to be noted that on March 23, the Myanmar government designated the Arakan Army and United League of Arakan (ULA) as terrorist organisations for “inciting fear” and disrupting the stability of the country by attacking government and civilian targets.
