China Conducts Military Drills on Yunnan Border as Burma Conflict Heats Up

The civil war in Burma has intensified this year despite efforts by Beijing to exert its influence on both the Burmese junta and rebel groups.

A member of Bamar People's Liberation Army (BPLA) stands guard in territory belonging to the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), in Karen State, Myanmar, Feb. 18, 2024. Stringer/Reuters

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has been holding live ammunition drills and armed patrols in west Yunnan Province near the China–Burma border as a civil war escalates in the neighboring country.

The Chinese Communist Party’s Southern Theater Command is holding a three-day joint exercise that started Aug. 27, according to a statement posted on its official WeChat account.