European aerospace giant Airbus has officially divested from AviChina, a Chinese state-owned arms and aviation manufacturer linked to Myanmar’s military, according to a statement released Wednesday evening by the Blood Money Campaign.
The move, effective since April 1, follows months of pressure from the campaign’s global #Airbus2Airstrikes initiative, which was backed by 361 organizations. Rights advocates called it a “major blow” to the Myanmar junta’s ability to source military equipment through foreign partnerships.
AviChina, a subsidiary of China’s AVIC, has long been implicated in supplying aircraft and defence technology used by Myanmar’s military in deadly airstrikes. Activists say Airbus’s withdrawal sends a clear signal that international business ties with regimes complicit in war crimes are unacceptable.
So let me give you an update. It's not been the Rohingyas they've been murdering. They've been murdering everybody else in the last 4 years. The state Rohingyas live in have fallen into the hands of Arakan Army who are comprised primarily of the natives of the state, called Arakans. Ironically, Junta has been attempting to revive Rohingya guerillas, arming Rohingya militants and fighting along side them against Arakan Army in Arakan State.