Located on the southwestern border of China, Myanmar is known as the "Land of Pagodas" and "the Land of Emerald", and is a maritime country with abundant natural resources and convenient export conditions. However, the economic development of such a country has been seriously hampered by political turmoil. In February 2021, Myanmar's military staged a coup d'état that overthrew former Aung San Suu Kyi**, accusing her of cheating in elections and violating the Constitution. Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of the Tatmadaw Defense Forces, became the new leader, while Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to 26 years in prison on multiple charges.
The political crisis in Myanmar has attracted widespread attention from the international community, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the actions of the Myanmar military after the coup d'état, considering it a serious threat to Myanmar's democratic process. Recently, the United Nations Security Council also adopted a historic resolution, which is the first time that the Security Council has taken a decision on Myanmar since Myanmar became independent and joined the United Nations in 1948. The resolution, which was passed by a vote of 12-0, calls on the Myanmar military to end the violence and release Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners. In this regard, China, Russia and India chose to abstain.
According to the Observer and the Globe, the resolution was drafted by the United Kingdom, which has a colonial history with Myanmar and is also the place where Aung San Suu Kyi studied and worked. Aung San Suu Kyi studied Xi at Oxford University in England and became an elected leader of Myanmar after returning home, and has also visited the United Kingdom. Some of her policies may be in line with Western "values", so Britain may be somewhat reluctant to do so after losing power and being imprisoned.
Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said in his speech that the reason for China's abstention was that although some changes had been made to the draft resolution, it still lacked balance. China believes that the Security Council should respect Myanmar's national conditions and internal affairs, and give Myanmar more time and space to resolve its own problems. Using the Security Council to exert pressure or threaten sanctions will only exacerbate the contradictions and complicate the situation.
The political situation in Myanmar is very complex and cannot be explained in a sentence or two. Myanmar's future should be decided through consultations among the various political forces in Myanmar, rather than interference by external forces. The resolution adopted by the Security Council this time may not achieve its desired effect, just like on the issues of Afghanistan and Syria, the West's hardline approach has not achieved much results. Myanmar is a sovereign country that will not easily succumb to external pressure, and if the West tries to solve the problem by force, it will probably be futile.