China’s rapid inroads into Myanmar are a strategic loss to the US and a direct result of US’s own policies. Instead of closing the door to dialogue by imposing tough sanctions, the United States should cooperate with Myanmar’s military leaders to its strategic advantage.
NEW DELHI – A recent joint statement by US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “expressed deep concern about the deteriorating situation in Myanmar” and called for constructive dialogue to aid the country’s transition towards an inclusive federal democratic system. evoked set. Unfortunately, the US-led sanctions policy has undermined this goal and made a bad situation worse.
Western sanctions have left the ruling military elite relatively unaffected while ordinary citizens of Myanmar suffer, giving the junta little incentive to loosen its political grip. The primary beneficiary has been China, which has been allowed to gain a foothold in a country it views as a strategic gateway to the Indian Ocean and an important source of natural resources.
This development has increased the regional security challenges. For example, Chinese military personnel are now helping to build a listening post on Myanmar’s Great Coco Island, just north of India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands, home to the Indian military’s only tri-services command. Is. Once operational, the new spying station will likely help China with its maritime surveillance of India, including monitoring nuclear submarine movements and tracking missile tests that frequently land in the Bay of Bengal.
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