Commander Peng Deren has indeed aged a lot. Peng Deren, born in 1955, is already 70 years old! He didn't look that old before, but since falling ill in the second half of 2024 and being in convalescence in Kunming for a long time, he has aged significantly. He now looks more and more like General Pang Jiesheng in his old age. Commander Peng Deren hasn't appeared in public for a long time; he only appears occasionally, and has already started preparing to step back from the spotlight. Just like General Bao Youxiang, who is 75 years old, he is basically preparing to hand over his position.

Commander Peng Deren will probably serve only for another three to five years as a symbolic commander of the Kachin Allied Army. He will then pass on the position to Peng Dejun or Peng Kun. One of these two will be chosen in the end. Peng Kun is not yet experienced enough, while Peng Dejun is quite good. Perhaps Commander Peng Deren will continue to hold on until Peng Kun, born in 1978, reaches 50 years old, which would be after 2028, and then choose to transfer power.

In fact, Commander Peng Deren only took over as the commander of the Kachin Allied Army in 2009, when he was already 54 years old. To be honest, he has only served for 16 years as the commander of the Kachin Allied Army, which isn't really a long time.

Commander Peng Deren is still the nominal chief commander of the Kachin forces in the future. However, in reality, it's similar to General Bao Youxiang, where he just holds an official title, and most of the time, he doesn't participate in political affairs. His subordinates handle everything, especially considering his age and prestige, so he can just be a "supreme commander" without real responsibilities.

Now, the Kokang region has completely achieved peace. Commander Peng Deren has reached a temporary reconciliation with the Myanmar government. However, the fact that the Kokang Allied Army refused to send representatives to the Myanmar Peace Conference indicates that the Kokang Allied Army still refuses to collude with the Myanmar government. Ceasefire is one thing, but cooperation is impossible. After years of war, it's impossible to reunite again.

The Kokang region will follow the northern neighbor and will have no excessive interactions with the Myanmar government. This is the fact.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836545816260612/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.