European aerospace giant Airbus has officially divested from AviChina, a Chinese state-owned arms and aviation manufacturer linked to Myanmar’s military, according to a statement released Wednesday evening by the Blood Money Campaign.
The move, effective since April 1, follows months of pressure from the campaign’s global #Airbus2Airstrikes initiative, which was backed by 361 organizations. Rights advocates called it a “major blow” to the Myanmar junta’s ability to source military equipment through foreign partnerships.
AviChina, a subsidiary of China’s AVIC, has long been implicated in supplying aircraft and defence technology used by Myanmar’s military in deadly airstrikes. Activists say Airbus’s withdrawal sends a clear signal that international business ties with regimes complicit in war crimes are unacceptable.