re : voa report Chinese top militar

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Subject: re : voa report Chinese top military visit Burma

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Headline: TOP CHINESE MILITARY IN BURMA ON SPECIAL MISSION TO STRENGTHEN 
SLORC
Keywords: BURMA,CHINA,MILITARY,GENERAL ZHANG
Date: April 29 1996
Source: DAN ROBINSON, VOA

BANGKOK -  ONE OF CHINA'S TOP MILITARY LEADERS ARRIVED IN BURMA 
DURING THE WEEKEND FOR A SIX-DAY VISIT WHICH IS  EXPECTED TO REINFORCE AN 
ALREADY STRONG MILITARY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHINA AND THE RULING 
MILITARY GOVERNMENT IN RANGOON.

CHINESE MILITARY DELEGATIONS HAVE GONE TO BURMA ON 
NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, BUT ANALYSTS IN THE REGION SAY THE WEEK-LONG 
VISIT OF GENERAL ZHANG WANNIAN IS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT IN 
YEARS.SINCE BURMA'S MILITARY SEIZED CONTROL OF THE COUNTRY IN 1988 -- 
CRUSHING NATIONWIDE PRO-DEMOCRACY PROTESTS -- THE RULING JUNTA 
HAS STEADILY INCREASED ITS TIES WITH BEIJING.

CHINA WAS QUICK TO RECOGNIZE THE RULING STATE LAW AND 
ORDER RESTORATION COUNCIL (SLORC) IN 1988 - ONE YEAR BEFORE 
CHINA'S OWN CRACKDOWN ON DEMOCRACY PROTESTS IN BEIJING'S 
TIANANMEN SQUARE.  

CHINA SUPPLIES THE RANGOON JUNTA WITH EVERYTHING FROM TANKS AND 
AIRCRAFT, TO SHIPS FOR BURMA'S NAVY.  BURMA'S MILITARY, WHICH HAS
GROWN TO AN ESTIMATED SIZE OF 300-THOUSAND, HAS USED CHINESE 
WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION IN ITS FIGHT AGAINST ETHNIC REBEL FORCES 
IN BORDER AREAS.

IN MARCH, REPORTS SAID CHINESE-MADE AIRCRAFT WERE USED
IN ATTACKS ON ETHNIC KAREN REBELS WHO WERE LATER PUSHED OUT OF 
STRATEGIC POSITIONS ALONG THE BORDER WITH THAILAND. 

CHINA'S MILITARY INFLUENCE IN BURMA -- INCLUDING MORE THAN 
ONE-BILLION DOLLARS IN MILITARY SALES SINCE 1990 -- HAS CAUSED 
CONCERN AMONG SOUTHEAST ASIAN COUNTRIES, AS WELL AS IN INDIA.

IN ADDITION TO EQUIPMENT, THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS 
CHINA'S MILITARY HAS ASSISTED IN CONSTRUCTION OF NAVAL BASES AND 
RADAR INSTALLATIONS ON BURMA'S COAST, AND THAT RANGOON HAS 
GRANTED CHINA NAVAL ACCESS TO ANDAMAN SEA PORTS.

BEIJING ROUTINELY DISMISSES SUGGESTIONS IT IS USING BURMA AS PART
OF A GRAND STRATEGIC PLAN FOR MILITARY ACCESS TO THE INDIAN 
OCEAN.  CHINA SAYS IT HAS NO INTENTION OF PROJECTING ITS MILITARY
INFLUENCE IN THE REGION.

A CHINESE STATEMENT ISSUED ON GENERAL ZHANG'S ARRIVAL REPEATED 
BEIJING'S STANDARD DESCRIPTION OF ITS RELATIONS WITH BURMA, AND 
ITS EFFORT TO EASE REGIONAL CONCERN.

REFERRING TO WHAT IT CALLED THE COMPLEX INTERNATIONAL SITUATION,"
IT SAID THE GENERAL'S VISIT WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO COOPERATION AND 
THE MAINTENANCE OF REGIONAL PEACE AND STABILITY.

GENERAL ZHANG IS VICE-CHAIRMAN OF CHINA'S CENTRAL 
MILITARY COMMISSION, AND WAS IN CHARGE OF CHINA'S MILITARY 
EXERCISES NEAR TAIWAN IN MARCH.  HIS 16-MEMBER CHINESE DELEGATION
INCLUDES A SENIOR CHINESE NAVY OFFICIAL (YANG HUAQING), THE 
DEPUTY COMMANDER OF CHINA'S AIR FORCE (JING XUEQING), AND THE 
HEAD OF THE CHENGDU MILITARY REGION. 

CHINESE MILITARY OFFICIALS FROM BEIJING AND CHINA'S SOUTHERN 
PROVINCES HAVE VISITED BURMA ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS OVER THE PAST 
YEAR. CHINA'S DEFENSE MINISTER (CHI HAOTIAN) WAS IN RANGOON LAST 
YEAR.THIS PAST JANUARY, THE CHAIRMAN OF BURMA'S RULING STATE LAW AND 
RESTORATION COUNCIL (SLORC) -- GENERAL THAN SHWE -- VISITED 
BEIJING, IN RETURN FOR A VISIT IN 1994 BY CHINA'S PREMIER LI 
PENG.

IN ADDITION TO MILITARY AID, BURMA HAS RECENTLY 
ACQUIRED TRUCKS, LOCOMOTIVES, AND SHIPS FROM CHINA.  TWO 
COMPANIES IN CHINA'S SOUTHERN YUNNAN PROVINCE SUPPLIED THE 
VESSELS AND RAILWAY EQUIPMENT TO MILITARY-CONTROLLED COMPANIES IN
RANGOON. 

SOME MILITARY AND POLITICAL ANALYSTS SAY BEIJING HAS STEPPED UP 
EFFORTS TO EXPAND MILITARY-TO-MILITARY LINKS WITH SOUTHEAST ASIAN
COUNTRIES.

GENERAL ZHANG'S VISIT IS PART OF A REGIONAL TOUR THAT ALSO 
INCLUDED THAILAND AND CAMBODIA.  IN BOTH OF THOSE COUNTRIES, HE 
ANNOUNCED MODEST CHINESE AID GRANTS OF SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS.

DURING VISITS TO RANGOON, NEITHER CHINESE GOVERNMENT NOR MILITARY
LEADERS BRING UP BURMA'S TENSE POLITICAL SITUATION IN WHICH THE 
MILITARY IS IGNORING CALLS FOR DIALOGUE BY DEMOCRACY ADVOCATES 
SUCH AS AUNG SAN SUU KYI.  OFFICIAL STATEMENTS USUALLY MENTION 
ONLY WHAT BEIJING CALLS THE RIGHT OF OTHER NATIONS TO CHOOSE 
THEIR OWN SOCIAL SYSTEMS.