China earns ire of Taiwan, strengthens ties with genocidal Myanmar that faces ICJ ruling

[TamilNet, Monday, 20 January 2020, 22:36 GMT]
China and Myanmar have inked thirty-three documents, including the construction of Kyauk Phyu port as part of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The CMEC, described as another backdoor to the Indian Ocean, is an alternative to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Gwadar port located along the Arabian Sea in Pakistan. The Kyaukpyu port would enable China to circumvent the Strait of Malacca and open a direct link with the Bay of Bengal of the Indian Ocean close to major shipping lanes. A joint statement reciprocating each others’ internal affairs went to the extent of Myanmar stating its “firm commitment to the One China Policy” and supporting the “efforts of China to resolve the issues of Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang, which are inalienable parts of China.”



The joint statement came after Chinese President Xi Jinping who was on a two-day visit to Myanmar, met Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on 18 January.

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry was quick to rebuke the characterisation of it being “inalienable” part of one China.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokeswoman Joanne Ou said her ministry condemned such false statements that “diminish the sovereignty of the Republic of China, Taiwan”.

Taiwan is not part of China, and only the Taiwanese government elected by its people can represent Taiwan in the international arena, Ms Ou said.

The joint statement by China and Myanmar also said that the Chinese side was supporting the “efforts of Myanmar to address the humanitarian situation and to promote peace, stability and development for all communities in Rakhine State.”

In the meantime, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected to rule on provisional measures in the Rohingya genocide case filed against Myanmar by the Gambia this week on Thursday.

Nobel Peace Price winner San Suu Kyi was defending her government from accusations of genocide against the Rohingya at the ICJ hearings in December 2019.

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The “provisional measures” requested by the Gambia were urging the ICJ to immediately order Myanmar to cease genocidal activities and to instruct the country to report to the ICJ within four months on such measures.

Under the Genocide Convention, any UN Member State can file a case with the ICJ to probe state responsibility of another state where an allegation of genocide has been levelled against the state. Myanmar is the third country to be tried before the ICJ on state-responsibility of genocide.

In 2007, the ICJ determined that the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica was genocide.

Although the ICJ said there was not enough evidence to decide Serbian state as principal actor or accomplice in genocide, the world court said Serbia, however, had violated the Genocide Convention by not doing enough to prevent the genocidal massacre in 1995.

In 2005, the ICJ dismissed genocide claims made by Croatia and Serbia accusing each other of committing genocide.

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External Links:

Focus Taiwan:		Taiwan not part of China as claimed by Myanmar, Beijing: MOFA
The Irawaddy:		Myanmar, China Sign Dozens of Deals on BRI Projects, Cooperation During Xi’s Visit
Chinese Foreign Ministry:		Wang Yi on President Xi Jinping's State Visit to Myanmar
Foreign Ministry of Myanmar:		Joint Statement by Myanmar and China
Taipai Times:		‘Not part of PRC’: MOFA, DPP, KMT

Chronology: