Myanmar Spring Chronicle – August 20 Perspective
(Moemaka, August 21, 2025)
UWSA’s Declaration to Three Northern Ethnic Armed Groups – What Could It Mean?
On August 20, the United Wa State Army (UWSA) officially informed three ethnic armed groups active in northern Shan State—TNLA (Ta’ang National Liberation Army), MNDAA (Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army), and SSPP/SSA (Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army)—that it would no longer provide any weapons or financial support to facilitate their military operations.
The meeting was held in Pangsang, the UWSA’s administrative capital, and was led by UWSA’s Vice Chair and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kyauk Kaw Aung, according to a release by the Wa News Land media outlet.
These three armed groups are part of FPNCC—the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee—a seven-member alliance led by UWSA. Two of them (TNLA and MNDAA) had formed the Northern Brotherhood Alliance and were involved in Operation 1027, while the Arakan Army (AA) was not present at this meeting.
Photos from the meeting showed senior representatives from all three groups in attendance. The UWSA communicated that “for the sake of military neutrality and internal peace,” it would cease all forms of support including weapons, logistics, and financial aid.
The announcement read:
“Before officially declaring this important decision, we wish to inform our ethnic brothers and sisters that Wa State is facing extremely serious circumstances.”
Although the statement did not explicitly say what these “serious circumstances” were, it is widely believed to be a result of pressure from China.
While Wa State has remained stable and free of active conflict, it relies heavily on Beijing’s support. It’s rumored that Chinese banks have frozen billions of dollars in UWSA-linked assets, as per English versions of the statement.
The announcement implicitly acknowledges that UWSA had provided weapons and financial aid during previous military operations—most notably Operation 1027, which saw significant territorial gains by MNDAA and TNLA in late 2023 and early 2024.
The statement further emphasized:
“Wa State will no longer provide weapons, military equipment, or financial assistance to any organization, under any circumstances, and at any location. We urge all organizations to refrain from further troubling or requesting assistance from us.”
The language used—translated from what appears to be the original Chinese version—was notably stern, especially the phrase “refrain from troubling”, signaling direct and possibly coercive pressure.
Most observers agree this dramatic shift was driven by China’s pressure. During the early stages of Operation 1027, China appeared to tolerate, if not tacitly support, the alliance’s campaign. However, once Myanmar’s military was being overwhelmed, Beijing shifted its stance, fearing instability near its border.
Reports have previously indicated that China was aware of where the weapons and funds were coming from and had pressured UWSA since August last year, demanding they cut ties and stop supplying weapons.
Notably, UWSA has never directly engaged in conflict with the junta, but it took over two towns—Hopang and Panlong—from MNDAA after they were captured during Operation 1027, incorporating them into Wa-controlled territory.
The UWSA has historically been a key arms supplier not just to northern Shan-based groups like TNLA, MNDAA, and SSPP, but also to others in southern Shan, Karenni (Kayah), and even Karen State, including PNLA and KNDF. In some instances, groups allegedly transported weapons from Wa territory through southern Shan.
Of all the ethnic armed groups, only UWSA and KIA are believed to possess indigenous arms manufacturing capacity. Even then, much of their raw material supply relies on China, underscoring the limits of their autonomy.
This new declaration from UWSA could significantly impact resistance operations in northern Shan State, especially for TNLA, which is actively defending territory against a fresh military offensive. While MNDAA is currently observing a ceasefire, it’s unclear how long that will last.
The situation underscores the deep entanglement of northern Myanmar’s battlefield with China’s geopolitical calculations. With China directly influencing one of the region’s most powerful militias, the strategic and logistical capacities of Myanmar’s resistance could face significant disruption.
How this will shape the outcome of territorial control, alliance dynamics, and future resistance strategies remains to be seen—but the ripple effects are already being felt.