United Wa State Party (Burma)

The United Wa State Party (simplified Chinese: 佤邦联合党; traditional Chinese: 佤邦聯合黨; pinyin: Wǎbāng Liánhédǎng; UWSP) is the ruling party of Wa State, an autonomous region in northern Shan State, Myanmar (Burma). It was founded on 3 November 1989 as a merger between the communist Burma National United Party (BNUP) and several smaller, non-communist Wa groups. Its armed wing is the United Wa State Army (UWSA), and its chairman and commander in chief is Bao Youxiang. The party enjoys excellent relations with China, dating to the days of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB), from which it emerged in 1989; its leaders liaise directly with Chinese military intelligence, and have received a steady flow of military and financial assistance from Beijing. The party's organization is also based on that of the Chinese Communist Party.