Opinion: How Myanmar is benefiting from the China-India rivalry
Collin Koh writes that far from being hurt by the Rakhine crisis, Myanmar is accentuating its importance to the major powers
A flurry of activity has taken place between officials of China and Myanmar amid the ongoing Rakhine crisis. When he visited Naypyidaw, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed an economic corridor with Myanmar – an idea that was endorsed by his host, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi said the initiative highly matched her country’s national development plan, especially with its focus on transport and electricity.
Suu Kyi was not alone. President U Htin Kyaw also expressed the wish to “actively integrate” with Beijing over the corridor project, and to support China’s Belt and Road Initiative. A warming of China-Myanmar ties should not come as a surprise, even if relations between the parties did seem to lose some of their lustre following the post-military junta democratisation process that brought Myanmar closer to the West and amid problems along its northern border. Earlier this month, Suu Kyi warned Western ambassadors that pressure over the Rakhine issue would push Myanmar closer to China.
The Rakhine issue does provide a fresh strategic opening for Beijing once again to pull Myanmar more closely into its sphere of influence – and the opportunity is being seized.
Far from seeing its position undermined by the Rakhine issue, Myanmar can continue to accentuate its importance to the major powers and extract benefits from rivalries
China pushed for a moderate international stance towards Myanmar, vetoed a draft British-French UN Security Council resolution which resulted in a mere joint statement that does not threaten sanctions against the Myanmar military, while proposing a three-phase solution to the crisis.
