China to back military-ruled Myanmar regardless of situation

BEIJING (AP) — China says it will back neighbor Myanmar “no matter how the situation changes.” The declaration Friday by Foreign Minister Wang Yi marks the latest show of Beijing’s unequivocal support for the ruling military that seized power in February last year, ousting the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The official Xinhua News Agency says Wang told his Myanmar counterpart Wunna Maung Lwin that China will support Myanmar in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Resistance to the military’s takeover has now led to what some U.N. experts have characterized as a civil war. The government is also facing genocide accusations at the International Court of Justice. In return for Chinese support, Myanmar has been a loyal ally of Beijing in Southeast Asia.