Neighbors And Friends

By+Yu+Lintao

Despite the fact that some analysts are keen on exaggerating the uncertainty of the relations between China and Myanmars new government， Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was invited by Naypyidaw as the first foreign minister to visit the countrys capital since its recent transfer of power. The April 5-6 visit was also Aung San Suu Kyis diplomatic debut as Myanmars foreign minister.

The new ruling party， Suu Kyis National League for Democracy （NLD）， has historically held closer ties with both Japan and Western nations. U.S. President Barack Obama even visited the fellow Nobel peace prize awardee at her home in Yangon in 2012， marking the first time a U.S. president had visited the country.

At that time， China and Myanmar had endured bouts of friction， despite Chinas good relations with Suu Kyis political rivals who had held power until just recently. Yet Wangs Naypyidaw tour has reassured the status of the bilateral friendship and set a positive， pragmatic tone for the future development of ties with Myanmars new leadership.

Moving in the right direction

The latest diplomatic interaction between China and the new Myanmar Government indicates not only the goodwill of the two sides to advance relations， but also Chinas friendly offer to help in advancing Myanmars political and economic development.

Though Myanmar has experienced relatively fast economic growth since it started reforming its policies on trade and foreign investment in recent years， the country is still among the most impoverished worldwide. The NLD led by Suu Kyi， which won 80 percent of the vote in the November election， faces a host of economic challenges and domestic political problems as they adjust from being an opposition party into the governing one.

One especially touchy issue includes the promotion of national reconciliation and sharing power with the military， which ruled the country for almost half a century， and was responsible for Suu Kyis detention for nearly 15 years， most of which was under house arrest.

As the civilian administration was elected by the public， the NLD administration must follow through on its promises—and distinguish itself from previous administrations—by pursuing economic expansion and improving its peoples well-being.

China is Myanmars largest neighbor， investor and trading partner. Its role in Myanmars future growth strategy should therefore be at the forefront of policymakers minds， as reinforcing positive ties with China is in Myanmars best interests.

The road toward good relations was in fact paved by a visit Suu Kyi paid to China in June 2015 at the invitation of the Chinese Government. At that time， Suu Kyi told Xinhua News Agency that her party， if elected， would continue to adopt a friendly foreign policy with all countries， including China. She also reportedly emphasized the importance of maintaining good relations with all of her nations neighbors.

According to statistics from Chinas Ministry of Commerce， about one third of Myanmars foreign trade is with China， and the latters investment accounts for one third of the total foreign investment in the former. In the meantime， China， as one of the major engines of global economic growth， pursuance of development initiatives， such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-India-Bangladesh-Myanmar economic corridor project， provides huge opportunities for regional countries. Moreover， China is working toward its own development as it seeks to become a “moderately prosperous society in all-around way，” which in itself provides opportunities for regional coordination and cross-border trade.

For Suu Kyi， her partys “reforming and opening up” policies aim to boost Myanmars trade with other countries， of which Chinas support and cooperation are essential.

As one of the most astute and practical political leaders in Myanmar， Suu Kyi has a thorough understanding of the important bond between the two countries. After being freed from years of house arrest under her countrys military regime， Suu Kyi has repeatedly voiced that a stable MyanmarChina relation is key to her nations future. She has even made a comparison of relations between China and Myanmar， saying that unlike married couples who could get a divorce if they do not get along， nothing can be done to change the fact that China and Myanmar are each others neighbor. In other words， the two might as well be friends rather than adversaries.

At a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Wang during his visit， Suu Kyi again stressed the important relationship between the two countries to both social and economic prosperity. Myanmar President Htin Kyaw， during his meeting with Wang on April 6， said that he “appreciated that Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to me soon after I was elected as the president and the Chinese foreign minister visited Myanmar immediately after the formation of the new government， which showed Chinas support for Myanmars new government.”

Remaining challenges

The two countries have had several sticking points both historically and in recent years that they must address in order to effectively move their relationship forward and to truly reestablish trust.

Business spats between the two include Naypyidaws unilateral halting of the Chinese enterprise-contracted Myitsone Dam project in 2011. Today， the two sides are planning to expand their economic cooperation regardless of contentious antecedents. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry， China is ready to increase investment in Myanmar， help Myanmar build necessary infrastructure facilities， and assist Myanmar in improving peoples livelihoods by developing agriculture and water conservancy efforts.

During Wangs visit， Guangdong Zhenrong Energy， a Chinese state-owned commodity trader， won approval from the Myanmar Investment Committee to build a$3 billion oil refinery in the southeast coastal city of Dawei in partnership with local parties. The refinery will have the capacity to produce 100，000 barrels per day.

Suu Kyi and her party must also put an end to the confusion around her role in the government. Though she is the leader of the NLD， and delivered the electoral mandate her party now enjoys， Suu Kyi was barred from assuming the presidency by the countrys constitution， as her children are foreign citizens. When the former government transferred power to the new ruling party on March 31， it was Suu Kyis ally and confidant Htin Kyaw that was named as president.

Suu Kyi was first appointed to run four ministries and eventually stepped back from two of the positions. Later， she was granted the newly created role of “state counselor，” which may endow her powers equaling to a premier， in spite of strong protest from the military. The military representatives in Myanmars parliament， who make up a quarter of the legislature， uniformly stood in protest and refused to vote for the new appointment.

In Myanmar， as its constitution states， the military takes a special position in the countrys national governance. In addition to holding one quarter of parliamentary seats， it also controls Myanmars ministries of defense， border affairs， and home affairs. The relationship between the ruling NLD and the military thus plays a decisive role for the national stability of the country.

China had maintained sound relations with Myanmars previous administrations， and it will continue to do so with the current government.“China will continue to play an active role in pushing forward the national reconciliation and peace process in Myanmar on the basis of respecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity，”said Foreign Minister Wang.

During Wangs trip， in addition to meeting with Suu Kyi and President Htin Kyaw， he also spent time with military leaders， including Senior General Min Aung Hlaing， the commander-inchief of Myanmars armed forces.

When meeting with Wang， Suu Kyi noted that as the Myanmar Government is dedicated to promoting peace and national reconciliation in efforts to achieve stability and development of its country， Chinas continued support of Myanmar—especially during this transition period—is both appreciated and of great significance.