Similarities and differences in Sino-Burmese relationship

Monday, 20 September 2010 22:50 Mizzima News

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – This year marks 60 years of Burmese diplomatic relations with Beijing, its giant neighbour to the north; today a relationship at times somewhat oversimplified in the West as Burma being totally subservient to China.

Twenty years ago when Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy scored a landslide victory, Beijing’s diplomats in Rangoon were the first embassy to publicly congratulate the opposition party for their win, a result effectively annulled when the military regime arrested the winning candidates. Two decades later, it is inconceivable that China’s diplomats would ever appear at NLD headquarters with victory flowers for Suu Kyi, as they had back in May 1990, but despite closer ties, Beijing and the regime do have their similarities and differences.

As China’s economy continues to grow at record rates, members of the Communist Party elite have handsomely rewarded themselves, friends and family. Its per-capita income ranks 128th in the world, just above the median, but its GDP is fourth globally. Last year, it surpassed Japan to become second largest economy in the world after the US.

Burma’s military rulers have opted to plunder the country while driving the economy into the ground, wasting millions of dollars in offshore gas revenues on maintaining a bloated army that is universally hated across the country. Than Shwe’s daughter’s infamous marriage ceremony showed that Burma’s rulers and their cronies are happy to spend huge amounts on themselves while their fellow citizens toil under grinding poverty.

According to World Bank statistics, China is the third largest investor in Burma after Thailand and Singapore. It is very likely however that China is in fact the largest investor because much of its investment is in shady business deals that are not officially reported or involve junta’s cronies acting as front men for the Burmese regime.

According to a report in 2008 by EarthRights International, Chinese companies became involved in at least 69 schemes of a total of 90 resource sector projects spanning hydroelectricity, oil and gas and mining. The biggest will be the billion-dollar Shwe oil and gas pipeline being built and operated by a consortium that includes Korean, Chinese and Indian firms.

It is likely China’s massive investments in Burma’s natural resource sector will irreversibly change Burma for the worse. They will further enrich a cruel regime and skewing the economy so that is overly reliant on gas revenues, thus turning Burma into Asia’s Nigeria – an incredibly energy rich country with a violent and corrupt government and an extremely poor majority population. Last year Burma’s per capita income ranked 208 out of 227 countries, a figure unlikely to change if the generals remain in charge.

In exchange for resources, the Chinese government has vigorously defended Burma’s generals in the international arena. As a result of such support, even after 22 years, the repression of the opposition by the regime is getting worse instead of better.

Given recent trends, it is hardly surprising that Chinese President Hu Jintao told Than Shwe during the latter’s recent visit to China that his government would fully support the Burmese regime as the military prepares to conduct a sham election in November.

At a press briefing on September 7 during Than Shwe’s trip, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the election in Burma was an internal affair of the sovereign Burma and warned the international community against intervening or disturbing it.

The Chinese leadership overlooks the obvious reality that a military clique in Burma cannot bring peace and development, and will only increase the number of refugees and migrants fleeing north into China.

During the Kokang offensive last year when the Burmese army launched an attack against rebels in Northern Shan state, 30,000 war refugees fled across the border to China. Similar assaults expected in the near future on Wa and Kachin areas are expected to force many more refugees into China than the relatively small Kokang offensive.

The desire for democracy is strong among Burma’s people. However, in opting to support the Burmese regime, Chinese leaders are doing a disservice not only to the people of Burma, but also themselves.