A Chinese envoy has lobbied Southeast Asian nations to let Myanmar’s military ruler attend a regional summit being hosted by China’s President next week but has met stiff opposition, diplomatic sources said on Thursday.
Myanmar’s standing as a member of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been thrown into the spotlight by a Februay 1 coup, when its military ousted the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking bloody turmoil.
In an unprecedented decision last month, ASEAN leaders blocked Myanmar’s military chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, from an ASEAN summit.
Four diplomatic and political sources in the region said Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore wanted Gen. Min Aung Hlaing to be banned from a November 22 China-ASEAN meeting being hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei have agreed to maintain the same position as the ASEAN summit,” said a government source in an ASEAN country.
