Myanmar junta grows more comfortable diplomatically

Significance

He held talks with his junta-appointed counterpart, Wunna Maung Lwin, on the sidelines of the seventh foreign ministers’ meeting of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) mechanism, a Chinese-led initiative for management of the Mekong River basin. The military meanwhile continues its scorched-earth response to armed opposition.

Impacts

• Humanitarian needs will increase as mass displacement worsens through the monsoon season.
• Foreign companies still operating in the country will come under growing pressure from stakeholders to exit.
• Attempts by Western powers to influence the Myanmar situation will be increasingly futile.