Chinese army holds drills near border with Myanmar

(Patria) - The Chinese army began "combat training activities" on its side of the border with Myanmar on Saturday, it announced on social media, a day after a convoy of trucks carrying goods to the neighbouring Southeast Asian country was set on fire, Reuters reported.

The incident, which Myanmar state media called a rebel attack, occurred amid concerns over insecurity in China, whose envoy met with top officials in Myanmar's capital to discuss border stability after recent signs of rare strain in their ties.

The training aims to "test the troops' rapid manoeuvring, border closure and fire strike capabilities," the Southern Theater Command, one of five in China's People's Liberation Army, said on the messaging app WeChat.

In a separate statement released by the provincial government of China's Yunnan province, which neighbours Myanmar, it said the drills would last until November 28 in areas near the villages of Manghai, Manling and Qingshuihe.

Myanmar was informed about the drills, said military junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun, adding that their goal was to "maintain stability and peace" near the border, and that they did not violate China's policy of non-interference in Myanmar's internal affairs.

"The military relationship between China and Myanmar is solid, and cooperation between the two armies is friendly and developing," he said in a social media post.

The attack on the convoy in the town of Muse on Friday came after Myanmar's military lost control of several towns and military outposts in the northeast and elsewhere as it battles the biggest coordinated offensive it has faced since seizing power in a 2021 coup. The surge in fighting has displaced more than two million people in Myanmar, the United Nations says.