"The following content was contributed by a guest blogger. The opinions expressed or implied herein may not be the opinions of Green Communities Consulting."
By Zachary James
The relationship between China and Myanmar has had its ups and downs over the past few decades, but has generally always maintained an integrity of friendliness. This friendliness is demonstrated in the word that Myanmar uses for its relationship with China. "Pauk-Phaw" is the word for brotherhood in Myanmar, and has been used in reference to China since at least the 1980's.
This brotherhood has
essentially been an economic and political one, with both parties involved supposedly
gaining equal benefit from it. Myanmar
receives much needed investment capital and trained experts in order to develop
its infrastructure, and China receives trade access to the Indian Ocean via the
Bay of Bengal and a percentage of the benefits derived from Myanmar's increased
development.
Or at least, that's how
it's supposed to work. When president
Thein Sein abruptly suspended construction on the Chinese-backed Myitsone Dam
in September of 2011, it appeared that all was not right with the brotherhood.
oil pipeline in Italy |
What this demonstrates is that, arguably, the Myanmar people have for the first time gained the power necessary to have a say in foreign relations. The fact that the Myanmar people chose the subject of "Pauk-Phaw" to voice their concern over is no coincidence. Many Myanmar see the Chinese as greedy, opportunistic land grabbers who do not care for the people who happen to live in the area whose resources
they want. The
Chinese, for example, have majority ownership in the Sino-Burma oil and gas
pipelines, despite the fact that most of its length travels through Myanmar
territory. These pipelines, set to open
in May, can carry an estimated 22 million tons of crude oil. Of those 22 million tons, Myanmar will
receive roughly two million. Myanmar may
need aid in the development of its natural resources, but it must only take
that aid when it benefits as much as its partner. The Sino-Burmese pipeline is not alone. Across Myanmar, Chinese-backed projects are
giving Myanmar all of the environmental risk and very little of the financial
reward. This is not lost on the Myanmar.
It
remains to be seen how much control the people of Myanmar can exert over the
pressures of development. The government
it seems is now caught in a tug of war between the will of its people and the
power-thirsty belly of its "brother" to the north. Development will certainly bring improvements
to the quality of life of many Myanmar, but development comes at a cost, and
China appears more than willing to pass the check on this one.
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