According to the latest reports, several Chinese-run companies in Myanmar have been vandalised in the wake of the anti-coup protests. The Chinese government reportedly suggested companies evacuate non-essential staff from the country, citing safety concerns.
The Myanmar authorities should take “more concrete and more vigorous” measures to ensure the safety of the Chinese companies operating in the country, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Minister Zhao Lijiang told a media briefing on Wednesday.
Zhao's remarks followed a number of reports saying that around 30 Chinese companies have been targeted during the nationwide anti-coup protests in Myanmar, with a number of Chinese workers suffering injuries. Most of the companies affected are located in Shwe Lin Ban Industrial Zone and Hlaing Thar Yar township, according to the Global Times.
In the wake of the attacks, the Chinese embassy in Myanmar called on local authorities to stop further violence being directed at Chinese factories. Several reports suggest that Beijing has urged its businesses operating in Myanmar to evacuate non-essential personnel.
The anti-Chinese sentiment in Myanmar has been brewing since long before the military takeover on 1 February. Back in 2007, the Chinese-led construction of the Myitsone Dam along the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar caused protests and clashes between the government's forces and ethnic rebels from the Kachin Independence Organisation that had been going on for about four years….
