Thread by @WholePicture_

#Thread about #China and his #relationship with #Burma ! #WhatsHappeninglnMyanmar
#protest #HumanRightsViolations #geopolitics :

Beijing favors the democratically elected government in Burma.

Source:
by @NZZAusland
nzz.ch/international/…

In contrast to the military junta, it is considered predictable and reliable
After the military coup in Burma, there were rumors that Beijing was behind the coup and would benefit from it. However, the reality is different. Xi Jinping would probably choose Aung San Suu Kyi.

Beijing has so far not made up its mind to show empathy for the protesters who have been killed.
To make matters worse, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Burma in mid-January, which is why rumors arose that the Chinese rulers had prepared the coup with this visit.

The conspiracy theories culminated in the attacks on Chinese factories in mid-March. They show: China is unpopular in Burma.

Beijing is facing a difficult balancing act. It is China's creed that one does not want to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. The Chinese rulers will not deviate from this in Burma either.

Part of the truth of the Chinese strategy for Burma is that Beijing, along with Moscow, opposed even stricter formulations in a statement by the UN Security Council.

However, the published version was tough. The communiqué called for the release of the head of the Burmese civil government, Aung San Suu Kyi, and other detainees from the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD).

Before the democratization of Burma in 2011, Beijing had only had limited positive experiences with the military rulers.

Political scientist Enze Han from the University of Hong Kong writes that the Chinese rulers perceive the Burmese military as greedy, predatory, ungrateful and an unreliable business partner.

The harsh allegations can be substantiated with examples from the past: in 2009 tens of thousands of members of ethnic Chinese minorities fled the northern Burmese region of Kokang across the border into China after fighting between the Burmese military and local rebels.

They sought help in the neighboring Chinese province of Yunnan. Beijing fears such “chaos” in its south-western neighbor, Burma, because of the more than 2,000-kilometer-long border.

Trade between Burma and China also did not advance during the military dictatorship. Furthermore, on military issues it is still looking for proximity to Moscow rather than Beijing.

The democratically elected Suu Kyi came in handy for Beijing. Your government knew that growth was the key to moving the poor country forward.

It has therefore opened the economy to attract foreign investors. Within a few years, China has become by far the most important trading partner and second most important foreign investor in Burma.

By @NZZ
Burma’s most important sales markets
2018, share of exports in%

Source: @NZZ
nzz.ch/international/…

According to World Bank data, Burma exported goods worth more than $ 5.6 billion to the neighboring country in 2018, with raw materials being the main export goods. Imports from China totaled around $ 6.2 billion.

Beijing is asking for raw materials from Burma and sees opportunities to sell Chinese products in the country because of the growing economy there.

China's production in Burma is in demand
2018, share of imports in%

Source: @NZZ
nzz.ch/international/…

The importance of the open Burma for Beijing was shown by the visit of the Chinese head of state and party leader Xi Jinping when he visited the capital Naypyidaw in January of last year.

Burma and China signed 33 letters of intent. Beijing also noted with goodwill that the government of Suu Kyi has joined the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The free trade area includes 15 countries from the Asia-Pacific region.

Burma also plays an important role in Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also in terms of gaining access to the Indian Ocean.

For a few years now, a gas and an oil pipeline have existed between the port city of Kyaukphyu on the Bay of Bengal in western Burma and the capital of the Chinese province of Yunnan, Kunming.

Beijing has gas and oil from Africa, Europe and the Middle East delivered to Kyaukphyu and can circumnavigate the bottleneck of the Strait of Malacca, which lies between the Malay Peninsula and the northeast coast of Sumatra.

At the same time, Beijing is expanding the deep-sea port in Kyaukphyu for 7.3 billion dollars and building an industrial zone for another 2.7 billion dollars.

Since the country opened up politically and economically, Chinese investors in Burma have benefited from greater legal security. The Burmese military did not attach great importance to this during its dictatorship.

For Beijing there is a risk that the status quo ante in Burma will return with a high level of legal uncertainty and that the country will be destabilized.

Enze Han from the University of Hong Kong therefore comes to the conclusion that China is the biggest foreign loser in the coup in Burma.