U.S. tightens exports to China’s chipmaker SMIC, citing risk of military use
Myanmar occupies a pivotal position in India’s strategic calculus as New Delhi establishes a connection with Southeast Asia through its “Look East” or “Act East” policy. The region has received the highest level of patronage under different Indian administrations. This was intensified under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his “Neighborhood First” policy with an active focus on improving ties with India’s immediate neighbors.
This intensification hinges on three simple facts. First, Myanmar constitutes the only physical gateway for India to connect with Southeast Asia and beyond; second, Myanmar is seen as a key partner in the fight to end insurgency in India’s northeast; and third, with access to Myanmar and beyond, India can hold back the larger security implications emanating from the presence of China in Southeast Asia.
Against this backdrop, India and Myanmar are preserving bilateral relations, keeping in view the importance and significance of each other in the changing globalized system. Their bilateral relations were expected to be elevated further when the National League for Democracy (NLD), which had been the main party of opposition in the decades of military rule, won a landslide mandate to govern Myanmar in the historic election of 2015.
Many scholars and analysts initially claimed that the NLD triumph meant victory for India over China, both of which had been Myanmar’s longtime investment and trade partners. Many further articulated that with the close connection that NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi had with India given her childhood memories in that country, political ties between the two countries could strengthen in areas including economic relations, connectivity and defense cooperation.
In addition, it was stressed that the new Myanmar could model itself on India by learning to establish strong institutions and the principles of stable democracy.
All in all, the NLD victory was seen as presaging a period of rigorous engagement and cooperation between Myanmar and India.
But just as it looked as though everything was going smoothly between the neighbors, the Myanmar military (also known as Tatmadaw) conducted a brutal crackdown on the Rohingya in northern Rakhine state after a deadly coordinated attack by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on August 25, 2017.
Rohingya crackdown poses challenge for Indian policy
During the crackdown, soldiers were accused of atrocities including torture and rape, driving more than 600,000 Rohingya across the border into Bangladesh. This brought about a series of criticisms of Myanmar and its leaders from various international organizations including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who described Myanmar’s actions as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”
During this grave humanitarian crisis, when the whole international community spoke with one voice in condemning the violence and human-rights abuses committed by the Myanmar security forces, India was caught in a dilemma
During this grave humanitarian crisis, when the international community spoke with one voice in condemning the violence and human-rights abuses committed by the Myanmar security forces, India was caught in a dilemma. It had to choose its priorities, but instead stayed tight-lipped.
This silence by New Delhi emanates from the simple fact that it was trying to engage with the new government of Myanmar and striving not to repeat the mistakes it made in the 1990s when it heavily criticized the military junta for its suppression of the democracy movement. India also felt that amid the growing Chinese presence in many theaters including Southeast Asia, upsetting the Myanmar government would be a strategic mistake.
As such, on his official trip to Myanmar, Prime Minister Modi didn’t make any mention of the alleged atrocities against the Rohingya Muslims. He instead praised the leaders of the state for countering the violence and offered India-led development initiatives and projects in Rakhine province.
Apart from the geo-strategic concern, there is a real security interest in remaining tight-lipped on the Rohingya issue. To put it simply, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal there are more than 90 insurgent groups operating on and across the porous borders of northeast India, and in many cases they have conducted deadly cross-border terror activity, including the June 4, 2015, Manipur ambush where more than 20 Indian security personnel lost their lives.
Given this security situation, New Delhi fears that the Northeast insurgent groups might get further leverage from Rohingya who have staged similar kinds of attacks against Myanmar government forces. This would make the security situation qualitatively different from anything in recent decades and threaten the prospects of stability and development along the India-Myanmar border.
China sees its chance
On the other hand, the Rohingya issue provided the opportunity for a comeback by China, another longtime strategic player in Myanmar that shares a significant border with the Southeast Asian country and which until now, had shied away from involving itself in the internal politics of another country.
Beijing saw in the Rohingya issue a unique opportunity to regain its lost opportunity in Myanmar and once again bring the country into its orbit of influence
In fact, until the Rohingya crisis flared up, Beijing had been forced to pivot its position because of Myanmar’s recent democratization and the gradual transformation of power. However, Beijing saw in the Rohingya issue a unique opportunity to regain its lost opportunity in Myanmar and once again bring the country into its orbit.
Playing this card, Beijing expressed support for the Myanmar government on the Rohingya issue, including at the UN Security Council. This support to Suu Kyi’s government in the face of widespread international condemnation gave Beijing a chance to regain lost glory.
In another instance, China offered to play a mediator role between Myanmar and Bangladesh and proposed a three-stage approach suitable to the Suu Kyi government for ending the crisis. Faced with international criticism, Suu Kyi and military commander Senior General Min Aung Hlaing made a trip to Beijing to express their gratitude and seek support.
Beijing’s interest in throwing its weight behind Naypyidaw stems from the simple fact that Myanmar occupies a pivotal part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, with Rakhine state being an important corridor. Rakhine also has a significant importance for Beijing as it fulfills some of its energy-security needs, giving a few Chinese-owned oil and gas companies access to the Kyaukpyu deep sea port project.
Apart from access to Rakhine’s own petroleum resources, China can also secure an alternative energy route and reduce its dependence on the Strait of Malacca. Moreover, by developing deep-water seaports and naval bases in the area, China can secure an advantageous position in terms of strategic influence in the Bay of Bengal, as well as getting access to the wider Indian Ocean region and beyond.
And the Rohingya crisis mirrors a real internal security concern to China. This stems from the separatist movement in China’s far-western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, whose predominant Uyghur Muslims claim that the region is not a part of China but was illegally incorporated into the People’s Republic in 1949. In the midst of the Rohingya crisis, Beijing fears that Islamic radicalization might get even further infused, within the Uyghur community leading to the development of more separatist agitation in Xinjiang.
China vs India in Myanmar
Both India and China are competing in Myanmar. This creates a worrying situation.
When we look at India’s position vis-a-vis Myanmar in the immediate aftermath of the Rohingya crisis, New Delhi failed to come up with any policy or solution apart from supporting the Myanmar leadership. New Delhi was heavily criticized within the international community when it decided to deport some Rohingya residing in India. All this raises questions the responsibility and credibility of India’s status as a rising power when it comes to resolving such crises in the future.
New Delhi’s inability to deal with the Rohingya issue opened the gate for Beijing to capitalize on the Rohingya issue as a comeback strategy in Myanmar. It has used all the resources and strategies at its disposal in taking this relationship to new heights. And this time, the rise of China in Myanmar is solely to be blamed on India.
Although it now looks evident that Beijing is playing a long game in Myanmar , there is still some space for India to make amends. New Delhi should craft a new Myanmar policy, while keeping in mind its own status in the international community.
This can start from re-examining the Rohingya issue and forming a constructive policy incorporating the ethos of democratic values respecting human rights.
Your article is well written and well argued.Congratulations.A little more elaboration on the Rohidian issue would make it more comprehensive
Well, you missed that Myanmar is likely having no interest turning into next Sikkim or Bhutan by India.
If any Indian think India will has any advantage over China in the neighborhood, he is delusional.
This article lacks the basic understanding of who the Bengali muslims (infiltrated from over populated Bangladesh to Myanmar and India and known falsely as rohingya) are?? Once the Bangladeshi or Bengali muslims cross over the border to Myanmar and India, individually or through traffickers and islamic sympathizers, the Bengali muslims are told to identify themselves as rohingya so they are not deported back to Bangladesh and to garner sympathy and aid from Islamic countries and NGOs. Note that it has been India and Myanmar erecting fences along the border with Bangladesh to deter illegal migration and infiltration.
In 1942, 30,000 Rakhine Buddhists were murdered and over 100,000 were uprooted from ancestral homeland. Thus creating a muslim majority (ratio of 8 to 1) in Maungdaw and Buthidaung areas of Rakhine state. Beset by other problems since independence, Myanmar has not paid enough attention to ongoing islamic terrorism and ethnic leasing of non muslims in Rakhine state. The wake up call came after a massive attempt by Bengali muslims (financed by Saudi Arabia and spearheaded by worldwide jihadists including Pakistan, Chechnya, Malaysia, etc..) to rid the Rakhine state of Buddhists and Hindus on August 25, 2017 killing hundreds of Buddhists and Bengali Hindus (who speak the same language and dialect as Bengali Muslims) and buried in mass shallow graves and required the evacuation of thousands. Read more from independent journalists such as Rich Heizman (visit his FB, see his videos recording interviews with victims and his reports posted in scribd).
It need to be realized that it is the master plan of Bengali Muslim terrorists (known falsely as rohingya) to seek international intervention (UN, UNHRC and mass media) by framing Burmese government for committing genocide, while they are mercilessly killing innocent Hindus and Buddhists who are living peacefully in northern part of Rakhine, Myanmar.
Thus, the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) disagrees with UN and UNHRC has called for the removal of Professor Yanghee Lee as UN Special Rapporteur to Myanmar. Also, former US chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Burma, Pricilla Clapp said that the Bengali muslims were responsible for the burning of villages as well as laying land mines. Hence, ASEAN, China, India, Russia, Japan, Australia and many in the US administration are right to be concerned about islamic terrorism in Myanmar and around the world and not fooled by the fake news and muslims playing the victim hood card with the complicity of muslim dominated UN and "human rights" organizations.
Thank you Sir. I will definitely work in my next article.
If I am a Pinky liberal interventionist, I would be worry seriously what the world would think about me (my country), national interest, national interest, national interest is always top priority.
As majority of Yakhine Muslim who wishes to live peacefully NOT like the radical extremist motto of forever Jihad or runaway to Bangladesh.
China or India could pressure the Yakhine Muslim through Bangladesh to seek a long term solution for the benefits of all parties which could elimanate the threatof US, UK, EU,OIC interference in this critical region.
Srinivasa Nanduri So tell us what China did that promted this so called "India China rivalry"?
Excellent facts- ridden comments by Thein Maung who responded the article remarkably with all the facts which the main stream Western liberal media in collusion with Muslim media are disingenuously omitting n hiding these facts to the rest of the world on this subject for their own hidden self- interests with hidden agendas underneath the Myanmar country !
Let the rest of the world read his comments on the subject ! Let the world knows about these facts that the Western liberal MSM n Muslim media are afraid to expose it to the rest of the world !
to put it in a nutshell, it is in the interest of both India annd China to ensure that the problem of the Bengali Muslim/Rohingas illegals in Yakhine ( Myanmar) and Assam (India) is resolved – solve their problems to get rid of a larger problem that might evolve with the Islamist Terrorists exploiting the situation and gaining a foothold in the Region, ie Bangladesh-Myanmar//Thailand-Malaysia/Phillippine-Malaysia-Indonesia region.
The potential to expand the ASEAN into a Region including China, Japan, Korea’s, ASEAN, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and lock out the Islamist Terrorists/Fundamentalists – a region of more than 3 + billion.
Thank you. Appreciate your balance view and emphasising little bit about democrative and humatrian concern of the people.
Actually Rakhine state was invaded and occupoed by Bama. Before Rohingya and Rakhines people ived in Rakhine State harmoniously for centuries. Rakhines want their kingdom back from Bama. Bamas want Rakhhine direction changed towards Rohingya. The dirty game played by Burmese Govt and Rohingyas are paying the price.
Considering that the so-called "real" bri is getting flushed out like the excrement it and its simian-faced ingrates are. As they say somthing is better than nothing.
As though natives of Occupied-Tibet Occupied-Uyghuristan Occuiped Inner-Mongolia love to see m0nkeyp00p-blooded and m0nkeyp00p-faced han skum everyday.
Even in Russia’s oil/gas-rich Siberia Russian women are having diarrhoea seeing dirty han faces that are creeping in there. Maria Arbatova said back in 2006 that Russian women should marry Indian men and settle in Siberia and flush out the excremental hans for what they are worth. She has walked the talk as she is hapily married to her Indian husband for over 40 years. Thanks to excremental simian hans in Siberia the already very high Indin-man/Russian-women marriages have now gone over the top.
Meantime cpec and gwadar pipedreams are also getting fluhed out along with their simian dreamers once in while. Hic hic Baloch of Occupied-Balochistan are not exactly self-immolating monks of Occupied-Tibet right??? Hic hic love to read of how dirty hans pipedreams are getting blown off and flushed out of this world. Forget Balochistan even in karachi in Sind simian hans are getting blown off this planet. Most cpec projects are cancelled or halted already. NOBODY talks of this p00p cra@p except hans and p00pistanis. hanland/china was the p00piest p00ph0le on the planet since eternity. You simians have just seen a decent life for a generation. Stay where you are else you lose even what you have. Forget world-domination you WILL NEVER dominate even East or South Asia. Quickly fo from Occupied-Balochistan else see your fellow hans and money and wet pipedreams get flushed out like the excrement that they are all worth. Besides this is not the 50s and Modi is CERTAINLY NOT nehru. Nor are the younger Tibetan exiles adherents of DL’s middle way d0gcr@p. AND Mother-India (as Baloch address India) WILL keep Daughter-Balochistan flushed clean of excrement like hans/chinese. Keep watching and dreaming.
As an Indian (Hindu by faith) I thank Myanmar and Myanmarese for doing their best to protect the HIndus. That they want to go back to Myanmar instead of asking asylum in India or any advanced western country like USA is proof that they trust their Buddhist brethren 100%. Many of us in India are aware of what the dirty rohingya muslims did to you guys in the 40s and since. We are also aware of Myanmar-India ties that go back to long before islam. India is the birthplace of all the four Indic religions – Hinduism/Buddhism/Sikhism/Jainism. Genetically and by faith we share a lot in commin with the Myanmarese. I have only one issue. You should have done this "permanent cure" back in the 40s or at least 50s. Then nobody would have criticized you. But better late than never. You should protect every inch of your territory. Every Myanmarese owes that to their motherland. India will support you to the best of Her ability.
MUST READ BOOKS:
"THE RAKHAING" and "ROHINGYA HOAX" by Maung Tha Hla (born Maungdaw, Rakhine state, Myanmar) founder president of the Buddhist Rakhaing Cultural Association of the United States of America. He was Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Organization.
INDEPENDENT EXPERTS AND JOURNALISTS:
Jacques Lieder, world renowned historian and Myanmar expert, report titled "The muslims in Rakhine state and the political project of the rohingyas".
Derek Tonkin, a former Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Thailand and chairman of Network Myanmar wrote on 9 April 2014 (The ‘Rohingya’ Identity – The British Experience in Arakan 1826-1948) that the designation ‘Rohingya’ was totally unknown to the British administration of Burma.
Gearóid Ó Colmáin, an Irish journalist and an independent political analyst based in Paris, search the web using key words "myanmar gearoid o’colmain american tribune"
Lintner Bertil – a Swedish journalist who now lives in Thailand, Myanmar expert, author and strategic consultant, was formerly the Burma (Myanmar) correspondent of the now defunct Far Eastern Economic – search the web using key words "Lintner Bertil irrawaddy myanmar"
You are one sick man or ur a Burmese Govt. cybertrooper.
You advocate killing and rape of people? Look at history and see the Rakhine kingdom that existet before the colonist took over India, then you will get the answer.Its the grre for the rsources that are in Rakhine that you are after.
Ethnically there so called Rohingyas dont even look Banggali, yet in your twisted mind you call them Banggali.
[ dont think your ethinic cleansing will succeed as all other such efforts in the world failed. Dream on, Hitler!
Nilesh Darawade , both should vacate and let a neutral party conduct eh plesbecite. Sounds more sane, right?Give them 3 choices, Pakistan, India or go on their own.
Another mad extremist???
Ashruf Din the expression " speak like a duck, look like a duck, must be a duck" The Bengali Muslims (Rohinga) fit the bill besides being Muslims like the majority Bengali Muslims in Bangladesh , including using Arabic names like Ahmed, Mohammed; Ali, Raak..etc- incidentally British are the ones that named them in the census as Indian Muslims, Chittagonians, no such thing as Rohingya and the local call them KHAW TAW.
One might ask how they differentiate in Malaysia with Orang Asli, Bumiputra; non-Bumiputra – what would Mr. Mahathiar be as to Mr. Razak, as to Mr Ching Chong
Jo Snow
Russian girls in the Far-Eastern Siberia which is rich in oil-and-gas deposits are having diarrhea and continuous vomit.
Reason : The encroaching m0nkeyp00p (han) creed’s members who look at them lecherously and give them nightmares in addition to their tumy and puking issues.
Solution : As given by Russian feminist and author Maria Arbatova – "Marry Indian Save Russia". And she has already walked the talk being married to her Indian hubby for decades. She says Indo Russian couples should settle in Siberia and flush out the encroaching m0nkeyp00p (hans) from there.
"Marry Indian Save Russia"
http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-marry-an-indian-to-save-russia-1121138
"Why best grooms are from India : Russian feminist unravels"
https://in.rbth.com/articles/2011/05/03/why_best_grooms_are_from_india_russian_feminist_unravels_12474
But fugly m0nkeyp00p hans’ wet pipedreams have been Indian reality for generations.
"Volga to Ganga : Love without barriers"
https://in.rbth.com/arts/2013/03/15/volga_to_ganga_love_without_barriers_22965
"A Russian Bahu in an Indian home"
http://in.rbth.com/society/2016/11/30/a-russian-bahu-in-an-indian-home_652259
Jo Snow
m0nkeyp00p hans WILL fuk off from Occupied-Balochistan along with their wet pipedreams like cpec/gwadar before it becomes free Balochistan. BALOCHS ARE NOT SELF-IMMOLATING MONKS LIKE IN OCCUPIED-TIBET.
Baloch flushing out m0nkeyp00p from Balochistan and this world –
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/baloch-rebels-attack-kills-two-engineers/1/775273.html
MANY cpec/gwadar projects cancelled and others halted after roads bridges power-stations grids and pylons along with han and paki m0nkeys and p!gs have gotten flushed out of this world by brave Baloch freedom-fighters.
Even in Sindh m0nkeyp00p is getting flushed out of this world
"Remote-control explosion injures three including Chinese national"
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2016/05/30/national/remote-control-explosion-injures-three-including-chinese-national/
Even better –
"Chinese national shot dead in Karachi’s Defence area"
https://www.geo.tv/latest/180419-foreign-national-shot-dead-in-karachi
"Two employees of China-based shipping firm missing, SHC told"
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/289267-two-employees-of-china-based-shipping-firm-missing-shc-told
Jo Snow
Wherever m0nkeyp00p hans turn up they cause the kind of revulsion humans can feel only towards waste coming out of a m0nkey’s behind –
"A Zimbabwe politician says all the Chinese in his country should be deported"
https://qz.com/686091/a-zimbabwe-politician-says-all-the-chinese-in-his-country-should-be-deported/
Ghana flushed out 4500 pieces of m0nkeyp00p at a go –
"Despite deporting more than 4500 Chinese, they still contribute to $2.3b illegal gold mining loss to Ghana"
https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2017/04/11/despite-deporting-more-than-4500-chinese-they-still-contribute-to-2-3b-illegal-gold-mining-loss-to-ghana/
AND LOVE Ian Khama of Botswana –
"‘We are not a colony of China’ – Khama"
http://www.botswanaguardian.co.bw/news/item/2790-we-are-not-a-colony-of-china-khama.html
@Ashruf Din : Its already a total success to get rid off the 90% of Bengali Muslim illegal immigrant from the northern Yakhine state especially thanks to ARSA. Within one decade, there would be no more. Daily immigration raid from one village to another village to check resident permit and immigration paper, no armed force is needed because it would be self deportation which the US government should learned this great Burma method to apply in the US.