Unregistered flights from China have been landing every night in Myanmar carrying unknown goods and personnel from China, for over a week now, despite a ban on international flights by the Myanmar military, which took over the country in a recent coup, according to a report published by an Australian think tank.
The researcher says averaging five flights a night, up to three planes have been making trips to Kunming in southern China from Yangon. “Two of the planes are painted with Myanmar Airways colours and the other is unmarked. All of them are leased from private firms,” writes Hutchinson.
According to the think tank, China, which is the fifth largest arms exporter in the world, has been favoring deals with partners from the Belt and Road Initiative, and Myanmar has been one of the top three importers for the past decade.
Kunming, in particular, is home to a significant artillery unit, the 63rd Base of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, as well as a range of signals intelligence and cyber units, including one focused on operations in Southeast Asia. As a regional hub, the city also has significant storage and logistics facilities and an airbase, said the report.