A recent report by a United Nations expert on Myanmar accuses Russia and China of supplying Myanmar's junta with military supplies.
Thomas Andrews, a former U.S. congressman serving as the UN's expert on Myanmar, accused China and Russia of furnishing fighter jets to the Myanmar junta, which toppled the country's democracy in a coup and has been ruling through military force over the civilians ever since, according to Reuters.
The report, which also named Serbia as complicit, stated that the two governments had "full knowledge that they would be used to attack civilians. It should be incontrovertible that weapons used to kill civilians should no longer be transferred to Myanmar."
The conflict has killed at least 1,500 people and displaced an estimated 300,000.
Asked about the report at a regular briefing, China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, said China "has always advocated that all parties and factions should proceed in the long-term interests of the country" and "resolve contradictions through political dialogue."
The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution last year calling on members to halt arms transfers to Myanmar's military. China and Russia abstained from the vote.
Andrews called for action against the Myanmar military: "If revenues necessary to maintain such a military are reduced, the junta's capacity to assault and terrorize the people of Myanmar will diminish," he said, according to Reuters.
The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation has linked a few U.S.-based companies to the Chinese military in a report published prior to the Beijing Olympics. The "Corporate Complicity Scorecard" is "an assessment of U.S. companies’ exposure to military modernization, surveillance and human rights violations in the People’s Republic of China."
General Electric (GE) received an overall "F" on the "Corporate Complicity Scorecard."
The score is based on GE's multiple joint ventures and research projects with the Chinese government and its military, connection to companies tied to human rights violations and its stake in Chinese military surveillance programs. GE shares its technology with the Chinese military through its subsidiaries and joint ventures with Chinese government-owned or -backed companies.
The company backs international Chinese expansion and influence by supporting China's industrial policies and companies linked to the Chinese military. For example, in 2017, GE and China Telecom agreed to develop and deploy “services in China through technical cooperation in the industrial Internet field to help implement the Made in China 2025 strategy.” The U.S. Department of Defense has since identified China Telecom as having an affiliation with the Chinese military.
Intel also received an "F" on the overall "Corporate Complicity Scorecard."
Intel manufactures its products in China while also sharing its technology with them. The company invests in Chinese technology firms with links to the government's military. Its technology is also used in monitoring operations in Xinjiang. Intel has collaborated with Chinese government research institutions to develop and implement surveillance technologies benefiting the military for its military-civil fusion strategy. This strategy opens a pathway for technological innovations, developed or obtained through the private sector, to enter Chinese military utilization.
Microsoft Asia created the Innovation Hub in 2017 as a center for the company to collaborate with the Chinese government, its military and about 50 Chinese companies, some state-owned. One of the results of the collaboration is the development and application of surveillance technologies. The U.S. Commerce Department listed one of Microsoft's joint venture partners as a Chinese state-owned defense conglomerate. The conglomerate has direct links with the Chinese military.