Ahead of President Xi Jinping’s two-day state visit to Myanmar, which begins on Friday 17 January 2020, Amnesty International’s Regional Director, Nicholas Bequelin, said:
“President Xi’s government has expressed its desire to help solve the situation in Rakhine State. While this is welcome in principle, the reality is that China’s engagement has failed to yield positive results for the people of Myanmar.
China must stop using its position in the UN Security Council to shield Myanmar’s senior generals from accountability. This has only emboldened the military’s relentless campaign of human rights violations and war crimes against ethnic minorities across the country.
“Almost a million Rohingya languish in refugee camps in Bangladesh while 600,000 still in Myanmar continue to live under appalling conditions of apartheid. If it fails to pressure Myanmar to ensure justice and restore Rohingya’s rights, China’s efforts to resolve the situation will remain ineffective – and counter-productive.
Background
On Friday 17 January 2020 Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, will embark on a two-day visit to mark the 70th anniversary of China-Myanmar relations. It will be the first visit to Myanmar by a Chinese head of state in 19 years.
President Xi is expected to meet with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s de facto leader, as well as Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar military Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. President Xi is expected to sign several MoUs that China and Myanmar have been negotiating as a part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as well as other agreements on political and cultural partnerships.