China encouraged armed offensive against Myanmar government to protest proliferation of online scams

The military junta controlling Myanmar has struggled to control all of its territory thanks in part to China backing rebel forces as a way of expressing its displeasure about cyberscam centers operating from the country. One issue Beijing wanted the junta to address was the proliferation of scam centers in Myanmar, as they often prey on Chinese netizens. "Operation 1027 would not have been feasible without Beijing's acquiescence," argued ICG. The offensive was named for the date of its execution - October 27, 2023 - and was executed in the Shan State among Myanmar's border with China. "The reason China allowed the 2023 offensive almost certainly relates to the proliferation of online scam centers in Myanmar in recent years, and the regime's failure to crack down on them," argued the report. The estimated number of victims makes the Kokang zone a larger center for human trafficking related to online scam operators than Cambodia, which is estimated to have at least 100,000 people forcibly involved in online scams. The scam centers make fake offers of well-paid jobs and housing that instead lure victims to a labor camp, where they are forced to execute online scams. "Tackling the criminal groups running these scams, which disproportionately target people in China, has become a top political priority for Beijing in recent months," observed ICG of the period surrounding the offensive.