Linn Maung
While China’s Yunnan Province may be eager to promote a narrative of a new normal in order to advance geostrategic interests in Min Aung Hlaing’s Myanmar, Chinese efforts to support the junta’s efforts to address cross-border problems that threaten social stability and national security are failing.
China will eventually have to face the fact that its support for Min Aung Hlaing’s regime will not only fail to stabilise its geostrategic investments, but will also cause greater harm to Chinese nationals targeted by Chinese criminal groups operating a slew of online crime centres across the country. Furthermore, according to Interpol, the type of trafficking-fueled fraud that is currently common in Myanmar endangers the security of nearly every country on the planet. Scams committed from inside Myanmar’s criminal enclaves are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with the ability to target victims in practically any country with pinpoint accuracy. Given that these criminal networks are Chinese, and given Beijing’s support for the Myanmar military junta and other militias that protect them, Beijing bears a large portion of the blame for the worldwide security issue.
This is a subject that demands strong international cooperation. Once China recognises that these problems will only worsen under military rule, especially given that criminal actors already threaten to rival the military in power and influence, it may finally allow for the international coordination required to address this and many other global problems caused by the Myanmar army. Meanwhile, as the army hides behind Chinese political support, the international community must ready itself for the development of harmful criminal behaviour. Meanwhile, the Chinese people will continue to be victims of cross-border trafficking and scams.
Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia have become safe havens for Chinese criminals who have managed to sneak into these nations due to porous borders. Second, common ethnicities cross international borders and quickly mix with local populations. Poverty is a source of strength in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, as it provides purchasing power. The salaries of government officials in these countries are reasonable, and if they know how to grease their palms, they can get anything done.
Transnational crimes have far-reaching, interconnected roots. Because there is no requirement for physical presence, the internet has made their job much easier. It is extremely impossible to contain unless global actions are coordinated in the larger interest, and it will grow exponentially in the coming days. It is important to remember that a hacker or fraudster is constantly one step ahead of us and is never in a relaxed state.
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