Power Play

A wary Sino-US dance around the Myanmar morass

While Washington and Beijing are geopolitical rivals, both are resisting the urge to intervene more given the complex domestic factors at play.

Protesters march during a demonstration against the military coup in Mandalay, on May 22, 2021. PHOTO: AFP PHOTO / ANONYMOUS SOURCE
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Power Play is a weekly column that looks at various facets of the US-China rivalry and its implications for Asia.

On May 12, shortly after Myanmar marked 100 days after the military coup, US officials tweeted that its Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Atul Keshap had held talks with Dr Sasa, the minister of international cooperation in Myanmar's National Unity Government (NUG) opposing the junta.

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