Chinese Rifle is Welcomed by Warlords in Burma

The Chinese-built Type 81 assault rifle is a surprise hit amongst the various warlord groups in Myanmar, according to the Party-run China Youth Daily.

The Kachin Independence Army was the first amongst all rival groups in Myanmar to receive the bootleg version of the assault rifle. The rifle, which loads the same M43 bullet as the commonly used AK-47, has gained its popularity in Myanmar.

The rifle's bootleg version used by the Kachin Independence Army is called the M23. The rifle was re-designed specifically for Kachin soldiers, who are commonly shorter than those in China's PLA. the folding stock applied to the original Type 81 assault rifle in Myanmar. A weakness of the custom-designed rifle, however, is that the Kachin Independence Army is unable to produce qualified propellant for it.

Local militias in northern Myanmar have even been able to refigure the Type 81 assault rifle into a rocket-propelled grenade launcher (RPG). Like the M23, the RPGs are easily operated by female guerrilla fighters as well, according to the daily. Since most of the fighting takes place in the mountainous regions, the RPG may be a very deadly weapon when used against government forces, despite its limited 50m range.

The Kachin have also constructed the Type 81 into a sniper rifle with a range of 800m.

China's foreign ministry denied accusations last year of providing weapons to anti-government forces in Myanmar last year, a claim made by the Voice of America and Janes Defense News.