BANGKOK — Various activist organizations are urging the United Nations to conduct an inquiry into its special envoy to Myanmar concerning possible conflicts of interest. This request follows allegations surfaced in a report highlighting her consulting firm’s purported connections to Chinese mining and construction endeavors in Myanmar.
Justice for Myanmar, a prominent activist group, reached out to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres after a publication by The Saturday Paper in Australia outlined alleged connections of Julie Bishop—former Australian foreign minister and current chancellor of the Australian National University—with Chinese state-owned enterprises operating within Myanmar. The report has since galvanized additional organizations to join the plea for a comprehensive investigation.
So far, Bishop has not issued any public statements regarding these allegations, and her consulting company has not responded to inquiries.
Myanmar, also referred to as Burma, is currently facing a civil conflict, with its military leadership clashing with pro-democracy entities and other groups. China remains a significant arms supplier to Myanmar’s military, which overtook the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. Furthermore, Chinese-backed mining and construction undertakings are significant financial sources for Myanmar’s military government.
Justice for Myanmar has emphasized that Bishop’s alleged connections with Chinese and other international corporations with vested interests in Myanmar pose “unacceptable conflicts of interest that warrant thorough investigation.”
“The trust erosion within Myanmar’s civil society is of paramount concern for the special envoy’s role, as her responsibilities include engaging with civil society alongside other pertinent entities,” stated Yadanar Muang, spokesperson for Justice for Myanmar.
Bishop’s consultancy released a statement to The Australian stressing its role as a private advisory firm aimed at delivering strategic insights and guidance. It clarified that the firm does not engage in fiduciary, executive, legal, corporate, or financial advisory roles, stating all potential conflicts are disclosed and assessed.
A representative of Guterres confirmed the reception of the letter from Justice for Myanmar but refrained from commenting further. Meanwhile, Australia’s Foreign Ministry has yet to issue any response, and the Australian National University reaffirmed in a statement that Bishop’s position as chancellor is part-time and non-executive.
“Chancellors typically engage in external interests beyond their universities, provided these activities do not impede the university’s interests,” the academic institution remarked.
Bishop was appointed as Guterres’ envoy to Myanmar last April.
The controversial report in The Saturday Paper indicated that Bishop’s consultancy had been contracted as a strategic advisor for a Greenland mining operation by the Melbourne-based company Energy Transition Minerals (ETM). ETM reportedly receives substantial backing from China’s Shenghe Resources and has extensive commercial affiliations with the Chinese Communist Party.
ETM is embroiled in a legal dispute against Greenland and Denmark, seeking reparations worth billions due to Greenland’s prohibition on uranium mining that disrupted ETM’s ongoing project since its inception before the ban in 2021.
Shenghe Resources, a partly state-owned enterprise specializing in rare earths, purportedly sources these materials from Myanmar, the largest provider of heavy rare earths to China, according to Justice for Myanmar.
Furthermore, ETM’s partner, the China Communications Construction Company—a state-owned entity—is actively involved in Myanmar, further complicating Bishop’s position, as noted by the activist group.
Justice for Myanmar has called on Guterres to scrutinize Bishop’s business dealings meticulously, assess her ongoing suitability to represent the U.N., and transparently publish any findings derived from the investigation.
