CRI听力:China Urges Myanmar to Protect Chinese Nationals

The Chinese government is calling on authorities in Myanmar to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals in that country amid reports that hundreds of Chinese nationals have become trapped by heavy fighting in northern Myanmar.

A number of Chinese citizens have also been detained by authorities in Myanmar.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei.

"China has required Myanmar to effectively protect the safety and legitimate rights of Chinese nationals. The Myanmar side says it attaches importance to China's concerns and treat the detained Chinese nationals well. The Chinese embassy in Myanmar has sent personnel to visit those people and provide necessary assistance to them."

Hundreds of Chinese citizens do cross-border business in Myanmar, which borders the province of Yunnan.

Heavy fighting erupted in northern Myanmar on Thursday after Kachin rebels ambushed a convoy carrying a regional minister.

Tang Xianying is a correspondent of Guangming Daily of China in Myanmar.

"The Myanmar government is conducting peace negotiations with rebel forces and had been hoping to sign a nationwide ceasefire on February 12th. But the renewed conflict in Kachin has cast a shadow over the prospect of the national reconciliation process."
The Katchin rebels, one of a large number of armed minorities in Myanmar, took up arms in 1961.

For more on the situation in Myanmar, we spoke earlier with Song Qing-run, an expert in Southeast Asian affairs with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.