Three weeks before Myanmar’s military commander took power in a coup, he met the Chinese government’s top diplomat in an exchange that pointed to potential support as Myanmar faces the prospect of renewed Western sanctions. “Myanmar’s tumultuous transition to democracy in the past decade has greatly impacted China’s economic interests in the country,” said  Dr. Li Mingjiang, Associate Professor at RSIS. “More than anything, China would’ve wanted stability in Myanmar, not a coup,” he said.