China described Tuesday the coup in Myanmar and detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi "a major cabinet reshuffle," according to China state news media.
However, world leaders loudly criticized the Myanmar military. U.S. President Joe Biden said the U.S. was "taking note" of who was standing up for Myanmar's people. Biden called the military's actions "a direct assault on the country's transition to democracy and the rule of law" and said the U.S. would not hesitate to restore sanctions.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the developments a "serious blow to democratic reforms," according to his spokesman. The Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on the military's actions - probably later Tuesday, according to Britain, which currently holds the council presidency.
While China officially elected to take a wait-and-see stance its state-controlled Global Times quoted unidentified experts saying the generals' power-grab could be seen as "an adjustment to the country's dysfunctional power structure."
Biden demanded a quick restoration of democracy in Myanmar. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the European Union and Australia were among others to condemn the coup.
Myanmar's generals consolidated their control of the country Tuesday. Armored personnel carriers and soldiers were seen patrolling the streets of capital Naypyidaw.
The Myanmar military has justified its seizure of power by alleging widespread fraud in elections held three months ago that Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won in a landslide. The military has imposed a state of emergency for one year when it will hold fresh elections.
Meanwhile Tuesday, hundreds of members of Myanmar's parliament remained confined inside their government housing in the country's capital - including leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The National League for Democracy party released a statement calling for the military to honor the results of November's election and release all of those detained. "The commander in chief seizing the power of the nation is against the constitution and it also neglects the sovereign power of people," the party said in a statement on one of its Facebook pages.
The takeover came the morning politicians gathered in the capital for the opening of the new parliamentary session.
The coup is a dramatic backslide for Myanmar, which was emerging from decades of strict military rule and international isolation that began in 1962. It now presents a test for the international community, which had ostracized Myanmar while it was under military rule and then enthusiastically embraced Suu Kyi's government as a sign the country was finally on the path to democracy. U.S. President Joe Biden threatened new sanctions, which the country had previously faced, Bloomberg News, The Associated Press and others reported.
On Tuesday in Yangon, the country's biggest city, the streets were quieter than usual but markets were open, street vendors were still cooking food and taxis and buses were still running. There were no outward signs of heavy security - but the unease that set in after Monday's events still lingered. People were removing the red flags of Suu Kyi's party from their homes and businesses.
The English-language Myanmar Times headlined the state of emergency, while other state-owned newspapers showed front-page photographs of Monday's National Defense and Security Council meeting, which the newly appointed Acting President Myint Swe and Min Aung Hlaing attended with other military officials.
