Justice For Myanmar (JFM) has called for the Chinese government to cease military transfers to the terrorist military council and for international action against Chinese state-owned arms manufacturer NORINCO. This demand comes after confirmation of NORINCO’s continued complicity through weapons seized from military council camps in Mandalay Region. The seizures occurred at military council camps in Tharpinkone village in Myingyan Township and Thayet Kine and Myakantha villages in Patheingyi Township.
Among the seized weapons were NORINCO-manufactured GBP128 mine-clearing line charge systems, which are used to create paths through minefields during combat operations. These systems appear to have been sold to the military council through the Directorate of Defense Industries, which oversees the regime’s weapons production, under a 2017 contract. NORINCO is a key supplier of weapons and technology to the Myanmar military council, including for its domestic arms production. In 2017, NORINCO and the Myanmar military council agreed to enhance cooperation in defense equipment trade and related technologies, with NORINCO confirming their ‘long-term cooperation’ with Myanmar and efforts to expand areas of collaboration.
According to the UN Special Rapporteur’s May 2023 report, NORINCO’s subsidiary China Wanbao Engineering Corporation directly sold products worth $5-10 million to the Myanmar military council between February 2021 and December 2022. Additionally, leaked documents from 2022 confirmed that NORINCO sought to sell a ship-mounted artillery system, surface-to-air missile systems with associated missiles, a weapons control system, a target tracking system, and two sets of missile control units and ship-mounted launchers for a Myanmar Navy vessel project. NORINCO has also supplied machinery parts for weapons production through multiple shipments during 2020, 2021, and 2022 to the Directorate of Defense Industries.
NORINCO technicians have worked at Factory 20 in Magway Region, providing technical assistance for the production of automatic weapons, aircraft guns, and related ammunition. The company also sold an MBT-2000 tank simulator, currently used for training soldiers at the Armored Vehicle School in Kyaukse, as evidenced by photos posted by war criminal Min Aung Hlaing in 2018. NORINCO plays a crucial role as a broker for military council weapons production contracts and regularly arranges training for military council officers in China, according to human resources sources previously associated with the Myanmar military council. The company is wholly owned by China’s State Council, which has significant influence over its strategic business decisions and export partnerships. Under Chinese export control regulations, the company’s exports to Myanmar require approval from Chinese authorities.
