The Chinese embassy in Yangon has accused the Myanmar Times of publishing “distortions and malicious manipulation” in an article about plans for a special economic zone in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State. The accusation came in a letter to the editor, which the Myanmar Times published on Monday.
The article in question, published on March 6 with the headline “Proposed Myitkyina economic zone yet to reach agreement,” claims that China demanded that Myanmar block all non-Chinese investment in Kachin State for 70 years in exchange for the construction of Myitkyina the economic zone.
The article also claims that China requested that the economic zone be built with loans exclusively from Chinese banks and that China seeks an 80-percent stake in the economic zone.
The Chinese embassy’s letter rebuts these claims, saying: “This brashly challenges people’s common sense because China is a strong advocate of free trade and open markets in today’s world.”
The letter also says that the author of the March 6 article, Khin Su Wai, never contacted Chinese authorities for comment on the project.
The contested claims in the article all appear to be based statements by Kachin National Congress (KNC) chairman Dr. M Kawn La. The KNC committed in January to a merger with two other Kachin parties in an effort to reverse the electoral losses they suffered in Myanmar’s 2015 national election.
The parties appear to be uniting around a platform calling for more revenue form Kachin State’s natural and human resources to be reinvested locally. Earlier this month, they organized a protest in Myitkyina against the Myanmar Gemstone Law (2017), which, they say, was drafted without consultation with the people who live in Myanmar’s gem-producing regions.
The Chinese embassy’s letter concludes: “The embassy considers the article to by no means be in line with journalism ethics. The Myanmar Times should cross-check the statements of its source and issue a public clarification about the false reporting as soon as possible, or the embassy reserves the right to take any other actions and claims.”
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