In Bangkok, several activist organizations are urging an investigation by the United Nations into the potential conflicts of interest associated with its special envoy to Myanmar. This call to action comes in the wake of a report alleging connections between the consulting company of Julie Bishop, the said envoy, and Chinese firms involved in Myanmar’s mining and construction sectors.
A report from Australia’s The Saturday Paper highlighted Julie Bishop’s purported links to Chinese state-owned enterprises operating within Myanmar. Consequently, Justice for Myanmar addressed concerns to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, advocating for a thorough examination of Bishop’s ties. Numerous other activist groups are now supporting this plea for scrutiny.
Julie Bishop, a former Australian foreign minister and current chancellor at the Australian National University, has refrained from commenting on these alleged connections. Her consulting company has not responded to inquiries regarding this matter either.
Myanmar, also referred to as Burma, is currently besieged by civil conflict with its military government clashing with pro-democracy forces. China remains a chief supplier of arms to Myanmar’s military, which seized control from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. The revenue stream for Myanmar’s regime significantly benefits from Chinese-supported mining and construction projects.
The assertion from Justice for Myanmar posits that Bishop’s affiliations to Chinese and other foreign entities in Myanmar pose “unacceptable conflicts of interest” that call for an urgent investigation.
Yadanar Muang, a spokesperson for the group, expressed that the trust deficit with Myanmar’s civil society poses severe challenges for the envoy’s role, particularly as it involves engagements with these societies among other stakeholders.
Bishop’s consulting firm, in a correspondence to The Australian newspaper, described itself as a strategic advisory service offering analysis and guidance devoid of fiduciary roles or legal counsel, with any potential conflicts being disclosed and vetted.
The office of Guterres acknowledged receipt of the letter from Justice for Myanmar yet refrained from making further comments. Australia’s Foreign Ministry redirected inquiries to the U.N., emphasizing that Bishop currently holds no governmental position.
The Australian National University clarified Bishop’s function as a part-time, non-executive chancellor, suggesting that as long as external interests don’t clash with university principles, such pursuits are permissible.
Bishop was appointed as U.N. envoy to Myanmar last April. The Saturday Paper reported that her firm had been engaged as a strategic advisor for a Greenland mining initiative spearheaded by Melbourne-based Energy Transition Minerals (ETM), a company with substantial backing from China’s Shenghe Resources—linked to the Chinese Communist Party.
Earth Transition Minerals (ETM) is embroiled in legal proceedings against Greenland and Denmark, seeking compensation in response to Greenland’s uranium mining ban. This legislation stalled ETM’s ongoing project in 2021.
Justice for Myanmar points out that Shenghe Resources, a partly state-owned enterprise, sources rare earths predominantly from Myanmar, serving as China’s chief supplier of heavy rare earths. It also mentioned a partnership between ETM and another Chinese state-owned entity active in Myanmar, China Communications Construction Company.
The activist group also indicated that Bishop has past business connections with Australian companies involved in Myanmar’s mining and energy sectors.
Justice for Myanmar continues to appeal to Antonio Guterres to thoroughly examine Bishop’s business dealings, reassess her suitability for continued U.N. duties, and publicly reveal the investigation’s outcomes.
