Myanmar's junta on Friday slammed the United States for snubbing it at a regional summit and meeting with opposition leaders, and instead lauded its ties with "powerful" China.

Washington has repeatedly denounced the coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's government last year, and the US government has imposed sanctions on top figures in Myanmar's military.

Myanmar was represented by an empty chair at a summit this week between US President Joe Biden and leaders of the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc in Washington.

Members of a "National Unity Government" dominated by lawmakers from Suu Kyi's ousted party were however invited to Washington and met Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman -- but did not represent Myanmar in the talks.

The United States was "practicing double standards" by meeting with the NUG -- which is working to overturn the coup and has been declared a "terrorist" organisation by the junta, military spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP.

"In the Asia-Pacific region, China is a powerful country. Our country is dealing with and having relations with powerful China and India," he said.

China is a major ally of the junta and has refused to label the military's power grab a coup.

Last month, Beijing said it would help safeguard Myanmar's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity "no matter how the situation changes."

The junta is otherwise increasingly isolated on the international stage, with Cambodian leader Hun Sen the only foreign leader to visit since the putsch.

In February, its foreign minister was barred from attending an ASEAN foreign ministers' retreat over a lack of progress in defusing post-coup violence.

That same month, a UN expert on Myanmar said China -- along with Russia, another major ally -- was continuing to supply the military with weapons, including fighter jets and armoured vehicles.

More than 1,800 people have been killed in a military crackdown on dissent since the coup, according to a local monitoring group.

Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Son of late Philippine dictator wins presidency in landslide
Manila (AFP) May 10, 2022
The son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos cemented a landslide presidential election victory Tuesday, after Filipinos bet a familiar but tainted dynasty could ease rampant poverty - while dismissing warnings the clan's return will deepen corruption and weaken democracy. With an initial count almost complete, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr had secured over 56 percent of the vote and more than double the tally of his nearest rival, liberal Leni Robredo. His now unassailable lead of 16 ... read more