BURMA and Bangladesh have endorsed China’s calls for a negotiated resolution of the Rohingya refugee crisis, Beijing has claimed.
Foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that a three-stage solution proposed by China has been accepted by both countries.
The plan, which begins with a cessation of hostilities leading to talks, was proposed by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi during a visit to Burma.
It remains unclear what mediating role China might play.
Burma has been widely criticised for a military crackdown that has driven more than 620,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee Rakhine state into neighbouring Bangladesh.
The United Nations has said the crackdown appears to be a campaign of “ethnic cleansing”.
China has longstanding relations with Burma’s military and burgeoning ties with Bangladesh.
It comes as Burma’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, gave a speech to European and Asian foreign ministers in the country’s capital, Naypyitaw.
In the address yesterday, Suu Kyi said the world is facing instability and conflict in part because illegal immigration spreads terrorism.
She did not directly mention the refugee exodus, but instead highlighted the views of many in the country who see the Rohingya as illegal immigrants and accuse them of terrorist acts. More meetings are to be held today.
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