MYANMAR COUP A BIG CHALLENGE FOR BIDEN

By seizing power on Monday, Myanmar’s generals are providing US President Joe Biden with an early test of his efforts to counter the appeal of China’s authoritarian model in Asia, Khine Lin Kyaw and Philip J. Heijmans reported for Bloomberg.

Army chief Min Aung Hlaing, who was bumping up against a mandatory retirement age this year, already faces sanctions from the US and UK due to a brutal crackdown against Rohingya Muslims that has led to accusations of genocide.

Beijing, meanwhile, has shown him respect: In a meeting last month with the 64-year-old general, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called the two countries “brothers” while praising the military’s “national revitalization.”

Although ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s status as a democracy icon has taken a hit due to her defense of the army’s actions on the Rohingyas, she still has key allies in the US Congress.

Suu Kyi, who was detained along with other key leaders, issued a statement calling on the country’s 55 million people to oppose a return to “military dictatorship.”

Biden now faces a dilemma in crafting a response that will punish Myanmar’s generals without hurting the wider population, which suffered under sanctions imposed in the 1990s before the country’s shift toward democracy a decade ago.

The White House has already threatened to take action if the army doesn’t reverse course, and will likely come under more pressure to act: Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for “strict economic sanctions” against military leaders.

China’s reaction was muted. Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin called Myanmar a “friendly neighbor” and urged all sides to “properly manage differences.”

As of the end of last year, China stood as Myanmar’s second-biggest investor behind Singapore with $21.5 billion in approved foreign capital. Beijing also accounts for about a third of all Myanmar’s trade -- about 10 times more than the US.

WEEKLY FEATURE : COLORSTEEL'S PRESIDENT BREAKS BARRIERS