China Urges Kachin Rebels to Stop Fighting Myanmar Junta

中国敦促克钦叛军停止与缅甸军政府作战（机译）

作者： 伊洛瓦底江        来源： 伊洛瓦底江

KIA troops / The Irrawaddy

克钦独立军部队/伊洛瓦底江

China on Wednesday renewed its push for successful Kachin rebels to stop fighting against the Myanmar junta in their state and safeguard Chinese investments.

中国周三再次推动克钦邦反政府武装停止对抗缅甸军政府，并保护中国的投资。

Chinese Communist Party Central Committee member Wu Gang met in Kunming with a Kachin Independence Army (KIA) delegation led by N’Ban La, the chairman of the group’s political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).

中国共产党中央委员会委员吴刚在昆明会见了由克钦独立军政治派别克钦独立组织主席恩班拉率领的克钦独立军代表团。

KIA spokesman Colonel Naw Bu said the delegation left for China on Sunday for talks with the Chinese government but refused to disclose what was on the agenda.

克钦独立军发言人Naw Bu上校表示，该代表团周日启程前往中国，与中国政府进行会谈，但拒绝透露会谈议程。

But sources close to the meeting said Beijing told the KIA to halt fighting in Kachin State.

但是接近会谈的消息人士说，北京要求克钦独立军停止在克钦邦的战斗。

On the ground, the KIA is busy trying to seize junta-controlled Bhamo, a strategic town on the eastern bank of the Irrawaddy River, after capturing most of the state, including major trade outposts and the rare-earth mining hub of Pangwa on the Chinese border.

在地面上，克钦独立军正忙于夺取军政府控制的巴莫，这是伊洛瓦底江东岸的一个战略重镇。此前，克钦独立军占领了该邦的大部分地区，包括主要的贸易哨所和位于中国边境的稀土开采中心盘古。

“China told the KIA to maintain the status quo and engage in political talks with the regime after the election” planned for late next year, a source said.

一位消息人士称，“中国要求克钦独立军维持现状，并在计划于明年晚些时候举行的选举后与缅甸政权进行政治谈判。”

“They also said China will take a leading role in bringing peace to northern Myanmar and talked about sending private security companies to Myanmar” to protect Chinese projects, the source added.

“他们还表示，中国将在为缅甸北部带来和平方面发挥主导作用，并谈到向缅甸派遣私人保安公司”，以保护中国项目。

Beijing is a staunch ally and arms supplier to the junta and supports the planned election, which has been widely denounced as a sham.

北京是缅甸军政府的坚定盟友和武器供应国，并支持计划中的选举。缅甸大选被广泛谴责为一场骗局。

But its chief interest is protecting Chinese investments, including several Belt and Road-related projects and the supply of rare earth metals vital to China’s burgeoning industries.

但它的主要利益是保护中国的投资，包括几个与“一带一路”相关的项目，以及对中国新兴产业至关重要的稀土金属的供应。

China has been pressuring ethnic armed groups in northern and northeastern Myanmar that it has close ties with to stop fighting after they seized major towns and trade routes between the Chinese border and Mandalay in the country’s center.

中国一直在向与中国关系密切的缅甸北部和东北部的少数民族武装组织施压，要求他们停止战斗。此前，这些武装组织占领了缅甸中部中国边境和曼德勒之间的主要城镇和贸易路线。

So far, the intervention has largely failed, although the ethnic Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) recently agreed a ceasefire after China put its leader under house arrest in Kunming.

到目前为止，尽管缅甸民族民主联盟军（MNDAA）最近在中国将其领导人软禁在昆明后同意停火，但干预基本上失败了。

Another source said China discussed reopening the border at Wednesday’s meeting.

另一位消息人士说，中国在周三的会议上讨论了重新开放边境的问题。

KIO leader General N’Ban La (2nd R) and Lieutenant General Gun Maw in in Mai Ja Yang in 2016 / AFP

克钦独立组织领导人N 'Ban La将军（右二）和Gun Maw中将于2016年在Mai Ja Yang /法新社

China closed border crossings with Kachin State a few months ago in attempt to pressure the KIA to lay down its arms. The KIA in turn closed any border crossings it controls to cut off rare earth exports.

几个月前，中国关闭了与克钦邦的边境通道，试图迫使克钦独立军放下武器。克钦独立军反过来关闭了其控制的所有边境口岸，以切断稀土出口。

The source said the crossings had reopened as of Friday, though China still maintains a trump card by banning the sale of fuel and electronics like drone components across the border.

消息人士称，截至周五，过境点已经重新开放，尽管中国仍然保留着一张王牌，禁止向边境地区出售燃料和无人机部件等电子产品。

Fuel exports have been banned since August, but the ban on supplying drone components was added after Myanmar junta boss Min Aung Hlaing complained that “some powerful countries” support the armed groups with technology.

自去年8月以来，燃料出口已被禁止，但在缅甸军政府领导人敏昂莱（Min Aung Hlaing）抱怨“一些强国”向武装组织提供技术支持后，又增加了禁止提供无人机部件的禁令。

Observers said the meeting will have focused on rare earths, and China’s reopening of the border aims to appease the KIA, which now controls the mining hub, creating challenges for China’s dominant position in the market.

观察人士表示，此次会晤将集中讨论稀土问题，而中国重新开放边境的目的是安抚目前控制着这个采矿中心的克钦独立军，这对中国在市场上的主导地位构成了挑战。

Jason Tower of the United State Institute of Peace said the KIA’s control of all rare earth mining prompted Chinese industry insiders to publicly announce a coming surge in prices—sparking significant volatility in the Chinese stock market in November.

美国和平研究所（United State Institute of Peace）的贾森?塔尔（Jason Tower）表示，克钦独立军对所有稀土开采的控制，促使中国业内人士公开宣布稀土价格即将飙升，这引发了去年11月中国股市的大幅波动。

He told The Irrawaddy the rare earth mines have been a game changer for the KIA, providing it with significant leverage to reduce pressure from the China side.

他告诉《伊洛瓦底报》，稀土矿对克钦独立军来说是一个改变游戏规则的因素，为它提供了减少来自中国方面压力的重要杠杆。

“China wants the KIA to resume operation of the mines, and has pushed to reopen the border,” he added.

“中国希望克钦独立军恢复矿山的运营，并推动重新开放边境，”他补充说。

Previously the responsibility for talks with ethnic armed groups along the border had fallen to the Chinese special envoy to Myanmar, Deng Xijun.

此前，与边境地区少数民族武装组织谈判的责任落在了中国驻缅甸特使邓锡军身上。

But Beijing seems to have decided to bring out the bigger guns, with Wu Gang taking the leading role in the latest meeting.

但北京方面似乎已经决定拿出更大的武器，吴刚在最近的会议上担任主要角色。

Wu, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and former ambassador to Germany, is the most senior Chinese political figure to meet with an EAO so far.

吴是中国人民政治协商会议（CPPCC）成员和前驻德国大使，是迄今为止会见EAO的最高级别的中国政治人物。

Chinese sources said Wu was assigned to take over because Beijing is unhappy with Special Envoy Deng’s failed efforts to stop the fighting.

中国的消息来源说，吴被派去接替，因为北京对邓特使未能阻止战斗感到不满。

Apart from KIO leader N’Ban La, the meeting in Kunming was joined by the KIO’s Lieutenant General Gun Maw, the secretary of its Department of General Administration, Laphai Zaw Yaw, and Colonel Khun Naung.

除了克钦独立组织领导人恩班拉之外，克钦独立组织的Gun Maw中将、总务部秘书Laphai Zaw Yaw和Khun Naung上校也参加了在昆明举行的会议。

作者： 伊洛瓦底江        来源： 伊洛瓦底江