BEIJING: China on Monday announced that the Myanmar military and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) have signed a formal ceasefire agreement.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a regular news briefing said that the two parties held negotiations in Kunming, a city in southwestern China, where they expressed gratitude to Beijing for its efforts in facilitating peace.
“Cooling down the situation in the north of Myanmar is in the common interest of all parties in Myanmar and all countries in the region, and contributes to the security, stability and development of the border areas between China and Myanmar,” she said.
Mao added that Beijing will continue to actively promote peace and dialogue and provide support and assistance to the peace process in northern Myanmar.
The MNDAA is one of several minority armed groups fighting against the military. The group is part of the so-called Three Brotherhood Alliance, alongside the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army. Together, they launched an offensive against the military in late October 2023, capturing significant territory near the border with China.
In July of the same year, the MNDAA, which consists of ethnic Chinese members, announced that it had seized control of a major military base near the Chinese border.
China fears that unrest along its more than 2,000-kilometre-long border with Myanmar would jeopardise investment and trade in the area.
Beijing previously brokered a ceasefire deal in the northern borderlands in January 2024, but the deal broke down a few months later.