WASHINGTON — As clashes escalate along Myanmar’s northern border, Chinese Premier Li Qiang this week reaffirmed Beijing’s support for Myanmar’s military leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The comment came Wednesday following a sideline meeting with the embattled junta leader at the November 6-7 Greater Mekong Subregion Summit in Kunming, in China’s southern Yunan province, according to a Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry statement issued the same day. During the meeting, Li pledged China’s commitment to regional stability, stressing the importance of trade and border security, even as key crossings remain closed because of heightened conflict. He assured Myanmar of China’s
