China–Myanmar relations (; ) are the international relations between the People's Republic of China and Republic of the Union of Myanmar. China and Myanmar share a border and have active bilateral relations with each other.
The earliest relations between the Chinese and the Burmese started between the Pyu city states and Chinese dynasties. The Yuan dynasty launched the first Burma invasion in the 13th century and another invasion in the 14th century. The Qing dynasty fought the Sino-Burmese War in the 18th century. In the 19th century, Burma was colonized by the British Empire. The Allies of World War II provided military aid to China during the Second-Sino Japanese War through the Burma Road. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Burma became the first non-communist country to recognize it, breaking relations with the Republic of China. In the early 1950s, Nationalist forces who had been defeated in the Chinese Civil War crossed into Burma. The PRC and Burma signed a treaty of friendship and mutual non-aggression in 1954, officially basing their relations on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. The China-Burma border was finalized in 1960, and the two countries subsequently launched a military operation to eliminate Kuomintang forces in Burma.
After the 1962 coup, Ne Win enacted a Burmanization of the economy, leading to the expulsion of many Chinese. Anti-Chinese riots took place in 1967, leading China to increase its support to the Communist Party of Burma (CPB), contributing to a breakdown in the relationship. Relations began to improve significantly in the 1970s, when China reduced support for the CPB. Following the violent repression of pro-democracy protests in 1988, the Burmese military junta moved to establish closer relations with China. During the presidency of Thein Sein, there were some setbacks in the relationship with China. Relations were generally positive during the Aung San Suu Kyi era. After the 2021 coup, bilateral relations faced difficulties, due to alleged Chinese backing of rebels in Myanmar's territories and ongoing clashes between ethnic Chinese rebels and the Myanmar military near the China–Myanmar border, as well as Myanmar's failure to crackdown on criminal activities affecting Chinese citizens. Though initially maintaining distance with the military junta, China has since moved closer to the military government, pressuring several rebel groups to sign ceasefire agreements with Myanmar's military.
The relation is often described as a pauk-phaw relationship (), based on a Burmese term for kinsfolk that implicates special asymmetric obligations between the two countries. Generally, China has maintained positive relationships with both the military and elected governments in Myanmar. China has significant economic investments in Myanmar and is the country's most important supplier of military aid. In addition to the ruling government, China maintains close ties with several rebel groups in Myanmar, most prominently the United Wa State Army.
Prior to the 20th century Both two countries and peoples, as well as both countries' official languages, share a close relationship and the same linguistic link, in which both the Burmese and Chinese are both parts of Sino-Tibetan language family and peoples. Both countries also shared history of various hostilities as well as friendliness throughout history.
The earliest relations between the Chinese and the Burmese can be traced back to the Pyu city states with various Chinese dynasties having contacts with the Pyus through trade and through pilgrimage by Chinese travelers who visited Sri Ksetra. As well as, through the migration of the ethnic Mranma people who were originally hired as mercenaries of the Nanzhao kingdom who were based in modern-day Yunan province.
The Yuan dynasty saw the First Mongol invasion of Burma and Second Mongol invasion of Burma. The Qing dynasty fought the Sino-Burmese War. Both countries had conflicting claims on the Chinese Shan states ever since the Toungoo Empire rose to power, though trade with Ming China was beneficial for the Toungoo Empire. Ming loyalists escaped to Burma during the Manchu invasion of China. Large numbers of Panthays from China also settled in Myanmar.
Immigration from China to Burma also increased after the country was colonized by the British empire. Chinese in Burma were an important minority community, especially in urban centers. The British colonizers used a divide-and-rule strategy on the basis of ethnicity, placing the majority Bamar people at the bottom of the social and economic order. This resulted in resentment by Bamar people against Chinese and other immigrant communities viewed as benefiting from colonialism, including Indians in Burma.
The Burma Road was built to China during World War II.
Political relations
Recognition
Burma was the first non-Communist country to recognize the Communist-led People's Republic of China after its foundation in 1949.Sudha Ramachandran, Yangon still under Beijing's thumb (11 February 2005). Bangalore, India. Asia Times. Accessed 30 May 2008. According to India's ambassador to China at the time, Panikkar, Burma was anxious to be the first outside the Soviet bloc and asked India to delay their recognition by a few days so they could be first.
On 16 December 1949, Burma's Foreign Minister Aye Maung gave a note to Zhou Enlai that Rangoon “decide to recognize PRC, and hope to establish diplomatic relations and exchange diplomatic envoys.” Mao Zedong sent a telegram to Liu Shaoqi and Zhou Enlai on 19 December to ask Burma for their willingness to cut off diplomatic relations with the Kuomintang.
Zhou replied to Burma that Beijing agreed to establish diplomatic relations and exchange diplomatic envoys on the premise of breaking relations with the Kuomintang government. His message further asked Burma's government to dispatch a negotiator to Beijing.Notes on the Establishment of China-Burma Diplomatic Relations, Archive of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People's Republic of China, File No. 105-00001-01 (1） Burma's new Foreign Minister, Zaw Hkun Zhuo informed Zhou on 18 January 1950 that the Republic of China's embassy had been notified and would be closed. Additionally, Rangoon appointed U Phyo, the consul general in Kunming, as temporary chargé d'affaires to establish diplomatic relations with the new China.Four Talk Records on the Establishment of China-Burma Relations, Archive of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People's Republic of China, File No.105-00001-02 (1）
In late April, Burma's negotiator U Phyo arrived in Beijing and held three negotiations with Zhang Hanfu, China's Vice-Foreign Minister, discussing how Burma severed relations with Kuomintang and disposed of all Kuomintang organizations and estates in Burma. Zhang replied on 19 May 1950 that China's government was satisfied with negotiations.
Rangoon sent ambassador Myint Thein to present his credentials but was advised that one of Mao's deputies would see them. Myint Thein refused on the grounds that he was presenting from one head of state to another, and could not present to anyone lesser. On 8 June 1950, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party Mao Zedong accepted the credentials from Myint Thein in Beijing and formally established diplomatic relations between the Burma and the People's Republic of China. The Union of Burma officiated its embassy in Beijing on the same day, becoming the sixteenth country establishing relations with the new China. On 28 June, the PRC opened its embassy in Rangoon. Yao Zhongming, China's first Ambassador to Rangoon arrived in Rangoon on 28 August and presented his credentials on 5 September 1950 to Sao Shwe Thaik.
Mid-20th century relations In the early 1950s, Chinese Nationalist forces who had been defeated in the Chinese Civil War crossed into Burma and fled into the hills of the Wa region. Communist forces pursued them. With support from the United States, the Nationalist forces reorganized and from 1950 to 1952, launched unsuccessful attacks into Yunnan, China. In 1953, Burma's government raised this violation of its sovereignty by the Chinese Nationalists to the United Nations. These incidents became part of the motivation for rapidly expanding and modernizing Burma's armed forces, the Tatmadaw.
With the symbol of exchange visit between two Premiers, Zhou Enlai and U Nu, in 1954, China-Burma relations began to boom. U Nu assured Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai that Burma pursued an independent foreign policy and was not aligned with the United States. He emphasized that Burma did not host American military bases and had actively supported China's admission to the United Nations. China and Burma signed a treaty of friendship and mutual non-aggression and promulgated a Joint Declaration on 29 June 1954, officially basing their relations on the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence.Sino-Myanmar Relations: Analysis and Prospects by Lixin Geng, The Culture Mandala, Vol. 7, no. 2, December 2006. Accessed 30 May 2008. The relationship with China was under the spirit of the term "pauk-phaw", meaning kinship in Burmese. However, Burma maintained a neutralist foreign policy in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1957, tensions between the two countries increased when Chinese forces entered the Wa in search of Nationalists.
After decades of negotiations between the Chinese and British before, the China-Burma border was finalized in 1960 by then Prime Minister Ne Win and Zhou Enlai. The border agreement resolved several Chinese claims, including conceding the Namwan Assigned Tract to Burma in exchange for three Kachin villages and a small portion of Wa State to be returned to China. The agreement furthered the relationship between the PRC and Ne Win, who returned to his military position following the 1960 Burmese general election and led to a joint Burmese-PRC military operation taking out the KMT stronghold in Mong Pa Liao near the China–Laos border. By 1960, KMT forces had mostly left the Wa Region. The Burma government made a series of agreements with China during the 1960s to address the continued problems of Chinese Nationalist guerillas.
After his 1962 coup, Ne Win enacted a Burmanization of the economy, leading to the expulsion of many Chinese (along with Indians). Ne Win's government prohibited foreigners from owning land and practicing certain professions. Anti-Chinese riots in 1967 and the expulsion of Chinese communities from Burma generated hostility in both countries. Following the riots, China increased its support to the Communist Party of Burma, which was fighting the Burmese government. Relations began to improve significantly in the 1970s. Under the rule of Deng Xiaoping, China reduced support for the Communist Party of Burma and on 5 August 1988, China signed a major trade agreement, legalizing cross-border trading and began supplying considerably military aid.
Relations under military rule
Following the violent repression of pro-democracy protests in 1988, the newly formed State Peace and Development Council, facing growing international condemnation and pressure, sought to cultivate a strong relationship with China to bolster itself; in turn, China's influence grew rapidly after the international community abandoned Burma. General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Jiang Zemin visited Myanmar in 2001.
2010s relations