ASEAN States Object as China Lobbies for Myanmar Junta to Join Summit, Sources Say

KOMPAS.com - A Chinese envoy has lobbied Southeast Asian nations to let Myanmar’s military ruler attend a regional summit being hosted by China’s president next week but has met stiff opposition, diplomatic sources said Thursday.

Myanmar’s standing as a member of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been thrown into the spotlight by a February 1 coup, when its military ousted the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking bloody turmoil.

Several ASEAN members, dismayed by the return of crisis and the suppression of democracy in Myanmar, have sought to press its generals by excluding them from ASEAN meetings.

In an unprecedented decision last month, ASEAN leaders blocked Myanmar’s military chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, from an ASEAN summit after he failed to honor pledges to allow an ASEAN envoy to meet lawmakers overthrown in the coup.

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Instead, ASEAN leaders said a non-political figure from Myanmar should be asked to attend. In the end, Myanmar was not represented.

Four diplomatic and political sources in the region said Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore wanted Min Aung Hlaing to be banned from a November 22 China-ASEAN meeting being hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Brunei have agreed to maintain the same position as the ASEAN summit,” said a government source in an ASEAN country who declined to be identified, referring to the demand that Myanmar is represented by a non-political figure.

Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah, confirmed its unwavering stand on the non-political figure, referring to the “wisdom” shown by leaders before the October summit.

“Indonesia is consistent in its position on who should represent Myanmar in the forthcoming leader’s summit,” Faizasyah said.

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Indonesia has been among the most outspoken of the ASEAN critics with its foreign minister, Retno Marsudi, stating that Myanmar should not be represented at the political level until it restores democracy.

Malaysia’s foreign ministry declined to comment. The foreign ministries of Singapore, Brunei, and Vietnam did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment but on Tuesday, its spokesman, Zhao Lijian, said China supported all parties in Myanmar in seeking political settlement through dialog and would work with the international community on efforts to restore stability and resume democratic transformation.

Myanmar's military government did not respond to a request for comment.