China’s Army Increases Presence Along Its Southern Border With Myanmar

The Chinese army has increased patrols along its southern border with Myanmar, where the conflict between the government and ethnic minorities has worsened, causing an influx of refugees. Spokesperson of China's Ministry of National Defence informed on Wednesday that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has made preparations at the border to deal with possible emergencies and safeguard the country's sovereignty and safety of Chinese people.

According to reports, the Chinese army is also cooperating with the local government to properly resettle more than 3,000 persons who have fled the conflict in Myanmar and crossed into China. Since 20 November, the conflict between the Burmese army and the militia of three ethnic minorities in northern Myanmar has escalated, causing at least one missile to fall on Chinese soil. In a separate incident, a stray bullet in Chinese territory injured a citizen.

The spokesperson added that such incidents are a cause for concern in China and he strongly urged the relevant parties to take effective measures to control military operations in the border region.

With inputs from IANS