A small explosion damages the Chinese consulate in Myanmar’s second-largest city.

BANGKOK (AP) — The Chinese consulate in Myanmar’s second-largest city was slightly damaged by an explosive device, but there were no casualties, the military, independent media and a city resident said Saturday.

There was no public claim of responsibility for Friday’s attack in Mandalay. China is a key ally of Myanmar’s military, which came to power in 2021 by ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi but is now fiercely fighting resistance forces challenging her rule.

The army said in a statement sent to reporters on Saturday evening that an explosion on Friday afternoon damaged the roof tiles of the two-storey Chinese consulate.

It said security forces were investigating to arrest the “terrorists” behind the blast.

The army is engaged in a nationwide battle against pro-democracy guerrillas and ethnic minority militias. It was put on the defensive late last year after ethnic armed organizations inflicted major defeats on it in the country’s north-east and captured significant territory along the border with China.

The gains made by armed ethnic groups that separately maintained good relations with China have weakened the military’s position throughout the country, causing Beijing to worry about the stability of the military government.

China has reportedly sought to include some of the more powerful ethnic minority groups with whom it has good relations, in order to discourage groups seizing territory in the northeast from continuing their offensive, which they launched last year. Started in October.

China is widely believed to have initially given its tacit approval to that offensive, which was seen as a way to curb large-scale criminality, particularly large-scale online scams carried out in the enclave. Which also included human trafficking. The criminal enterprises were largely run by ethnic Chinese, causing embarrassment to Beijing.

China, along with Russia, is a major arms supplier to Myanmar’s military. It is also Myanmar’s largest trading partner and has invested billions of dollars in Myanmar’s mines, oil and gas pipelines and other infrastructure.

The military government has been rejected and sanctioned by many Western countries for the 2021 takeover and major human rights violations.

Myanmar’s independent media have reported that the head of the ruling military council, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, will visit China in the coming weeks for the first time since taking power.

Independent online media including The Irrawaddy and Khit Thit also reported an attack with an explosive device on the Chinese consulate in Mandalay’s Chanmythazye township on Saturday.

A Chanmythazi resident who lives near the consulate told The Associated Press that security had already been tightened around the site after the explosion, with nearby roads closed. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared being arrested by the military.

The main group coordinating opposition to military rule, the Shadow National Unity Government, condemned the attack on the consulate in a statement, saying it would steadfastly oppose any action that could lead to ethnic and religious conflict.