The United Nations is being called upon to investigate its special envoy on Myanmar, Julie Bishop, due to alleged connections between her consulting company and Chinese mining and construction companies with interests in the Southeast Asian nation.

Justice for Myanmar, a well-known advocacy group, has sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, referencing a report by Australia’s The Saturday Paper that exposes Bishop’s alleged ties to Chinese state-owned companies. By Tuesday, several other activist groups had also joined in calling for an inquiry.

The connections to Chinese and other firms operating in Myanmar have been deemed “unacceptable conflicts of interest that must be fully investigated” by Justice for Myanmar in its letter to Guterres.

The group has urged the UN chief to examine Bishop’s “business activities, consider the suitability of her continued UN involvement, and disclose the results”.

Bishop, a former Australian foreign minister and current chancellor of Australian National University, has not yet publicly addressed the allegations. She took up her position as UN envoy to Myanmar in April.

In a statement provided to The Australian newspaper, Bishop’s company stated it is “a private-advisory firm engaged to provide strategic analysis and guidance”.

It added that it “does not assume fiduciary or executive roles, nor does it offer legal, corporate or financial advice” and that “any potential or actual conflicts are declared and vetted”.

Myanmar Civil War

Myanmar, which has been mired in a civil war since the military overthrew democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, heavily relies on Chinese-backed mining and construction operations for its revenue.

China is also a major supplier of arms to Myanmar’s military rulers.

Justice for Myanmar argued in its letter that Bishop’s ties to companies with interests in Myanmar undermine her role as UN envoy, especially given her mandate to engage with civil society.

“The loss of trust of Myanmar civil society is a critical issue for the special envoy’s position,” stated Yadanar Maung, the group’s spokesperson, speaking to The Associated Press news agency.

According to The Saturday Paper, Bishop’s firm has provided guidance to Energy Transition Minerals, a melanoma-based rare earths company backed significantly by Chinese entities, including Shenghe Resources, a partly state-owned company believed to source rare earths from Myanmar.

The UN has confirmed receipt of Justice for Myanmar’s letter but has not provided further comments, AP reported.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/11/un-urged-to-probe-myanmar-envoy-julie-bishop-over-alleged-china-firms-ties?traffic_source=rss