(Daniel Swift’s post from FDD on 18 June 2026.)
China’s
Chokepoint Problem: Why Beijing Is Welcoming a Leader Nobody Likes. No one
likes Min Aung Hlaing. Nevertheless, the leader of Myanmar’s military
government kicked off a five-day state visit in China on June 16, seeking
legitimacy after a sham election that few inside or outside Myanmar take
seriously.
He
remains deeply unpopular at home, where the economy has shrunk 20 percent since
his February 2021 coup. Beijing is growing impatient over his inability to
crack down on scam centers and to bring peace to Myanmar — home of the world’s
longest-running civil war.
China needs stability on its 1,300-mile border with Myanmar and wants the junta to protect a pipeline terminus and port project in Rakhine State that gives it a foothold in the Indian Ocean and a bypass around the Strait of Malacca maritime chokepoint.








