Why Myanmar Rebels Retreated From Lashio

It was one of the biggest rebel victories of the four-year civil war in Myanmar. Thousands of resistance fighters from half a dozen rebel armies took the city of Lashio and overran a military command center 75 miles from the Chinese border.

Facing junta artillery and airstrikes, the rebels attacked with small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and drones, ultimately winning in intense street fighting. The triumph in August came at a cost of more than 500 fighters killed, the rebels said.

But in a stunning reversal, resistance forces quietly abandoned Lashio, in northern Shan State, last month without a shot fired and handed their hard-won territory back to the junta. A military convoy of 200 vehicles flying the national flag rolled into the city in late April and reclaimed control.

Rebel leaders say the sudden withdrawal was a result of pressure from China, which has been intervening in the civil war to help the junta. Beijing, rebel leaders and analysts say, is protecting its financial interests in Myanmar that are worth billions of dollars, including pipelines that transport crude oil and natural gas nearly 500 miles from the Bay of Bengal to China, and infrastructure projects being built under the umbrella of the Belt and Road Initiative.

To force the rebels out of Lashio, China blocked border trade, cut off power and internet service in nearby towns and reportedly detained the commander of the main rebel group after he crossed into China.

“China claims not to interfere in Myanmar’s internal affairs, but in Lashio, they clearly stepped in and managed the situation directly,” said Ni Ni Kyaw, spokeswoman for the People’s Liberation Army, a pro-democracy force that joined in the battle for Lashio. “China’s approach to Myanmar’s affairs is driven purely by self-interest.”