The United Nations is facing calls to investigate its special envoy on Myanmar, Julie Bishop, over alleged ties between her consulting firm and Chinese mining and construction companies with interests in the Southeast Asian country.

Justice for Myanmar, a prominent advocacy group, has sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, citing a report by Australia’s The Saturday Paper that detailed Bishop’s alleged connections to Chinese state-owned firms. By Tuesday, a number of other activist groups had also joined the call for an investigation.

The links to Chinese and other companies operating in Myanmar create “unacceptable conflicts of interest that must be fully investigated”, Justice for Myanmar wrote to Guterres.

The group urged the UN chief to investigate Bishop’s “business activities, consider the appropriateness of her continued U.N. engagement, and disclose the findings”.

Bishop, a former Australian foreign minister and current chancellor of Australian National University, has not publicly addressed the allegations. She was named UN envoy to Myanmar in April.

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

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

Myanmar civil war

Myanmar, embroiled in a civil war since the military ousted Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in 2021, relies heavily on Chinese-backed mining and construction projects for revenue.

China is also a key supplier of weapons to Myanmar’s military rulers.

In its letter, Justice for Myanmar argued that Bishop’s ties to companies with interests in the country undermine her role as the UN envoy, particularly 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,” Yadanar Maung, the group’s spokesperson, told The Associated Press news agency.

According to The Saturday Paper, Bishop’s firm has advised Melbourne-based Energy Transition Minerals, a rare earths company with significant Chinese backing, including from Shenghe Resources, a partially state-owned firm believed to source rare earths from Myanmar.

The UN has acknowledged receipt of Justice for Myanmar’s letter but declined further comment, AP reported.