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As the smoke of gunfire in Kokang Old Street grew hotter, Myanmar began to throw olive branches to China.
Both the military junta now in power and the "government of national unity," which represents the will of the people, have begun to make overtures to China.
The Kyaukphyu Port development project, which has been stalled for a long time, has finally ushered in a new dawn, and if this project can be achieved, then China will relieve a lot of pressure in the turbulent tide of the world.
Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone deep-water port
Kyaukphyu is a port town in Myanmar that is surrounded by the Indian Ocean and faces the Bay of Bengal.
If this project can be completed, then the mainland will go directly from Yunnan, through Myanmar, directly into the Indian Ocean, which will bring extraordinary advantages to the mainland's cargo transportation, reduce the risk of transportation through the Strait of Malacca, and avoid the situation that mainland shipping is controlled by others.
In 2007, the mainland identified such a project for the benefit of the country and the people, began to negotiate with the Myanmar government, and even planned a collaborative project for it, including Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and other ports.
Through the synergy between these ports, mainland Yunnan goods will avoid the cumbersome Malacca shipping line and enter the international market directly through the Indian Ocean.
However, due to the fact that negotiations with the Burmese government have repeatedly run into difficulties, the mainland has planned more synergistic projects in addition to this.
In the vicinity of Kyaukpyu Port, the China-Myanmar natural gas pipeline was successfully constructed, which went directly to Ruili in Yunnan Province on the mainland, and then went south through Ruili to the Pearl River Delta Economic Circle on the mainland, escorting the economic development of the mainland, but until the natural gas pipeline began to be put into use, the development plan for Kyaukphyu Port was still in a state of stagnation.
The political situation in Myanmar is changing
The reason for the stagnation of the development of Kyaukphyu Port has a lot to do with the local political situation in Myanmar.
In the beginning, there were significant concerns about the project within Myanmar.
China and Myanmar have a very deep historical relationship, in many dynasties, Burmese politics paid tribute to the Central Plains, and during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Burmese rulers also intervened.
Influenced by Han culture, many people in Myanmar have a very deep friendship with China.
However, in modern times, the relationship between China and Myanmar has become delicate, and in particular, the people in power in Myanmar have gradually begun to reduce their exchanges with us after seeing the contradictions between China and Western countries.
Around 10 years ago, when the West was still imposing sanctions on Myanmar, the military junta in power inside Myanmar, after seeing China get rid of Western sanctions many times, began to look to us for experience and willingness to cooperate with us.
But with Aung San Suu Kyi's coming to power, Myanmar has been given more choice, and it is no longer so enthusiastic about the Kyaukphyu port, a Sino-Myanmar cooperation project.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi left Myanmar as a child to live and study Xi in India, and when she came of age, she was sent to Oxford, England, where she remained for several years and changed her British citizenship. After graduating, Aung San Suu Kyi stayed in the UK to teach, later married a colleague, and at the age of 30, began to return to Myanmar and began to stir up the country.
Reduction in Western investment
After Aung San Suu Kyi was elected president in 2015, Western countries eased sanctions on Myanmar, and cooperation with China became less important before the option of cooperating with Western powers.
Although Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is aware of the many benefits of Kyaukpyu Port for China and Myanmar, she has been obsessed with obtaining more benefits and is strongly opposed to the project's share allocation.
In order to complete the project as soon as possible, in 2018, the mainland adjusted the shareholding ratio to 70:30, with a profit of 15.
Seeing the double benefits, Aung San Suu Kyi's government began to relent, and when the project was about to pass, Myanmar was plunged into internal turmoil.
The Rohingya are an ethnic conflict within Myanmar, and after the signing of the framework agreement between China and Myanmar in 18 years, the Myanmar army began to attack the Rohingya forces, and due to the continuous exchange of fire between the two sides, Myanmar began to delay the project.
Under the interference of Western interests, the China-Myanmar Kyaukphyu port project was delayed again and again, and it was not until 2021 that things took a turn for the better.
With a military coup in Myanmar and the imprisonment of Aung San Suu Kyi, Min Aung Hlaing began to take power.
After seeing Aung San Suu Kyi's situation, Western countries began to reduce their investment in Myanmar, and the Burmese government began to look back at China, but after seeing the world, it began to bargain again.
When the Kokang Allied Army ignited the Burmese civil war, Min Aung Hlaing's government remembered to make overtures to China, and at present, the Burmese military junta only retains one Mujie port, and if it is captured, then they will completely lose the opportunity to trade with China, and their own economic development will be greatly restricted.
After seeing the defeat of the junta, Aung San Suu Kyi also began to greet China, and on the first day of the new year, she conveyed 10 principles to China, expressing her willingness to cooperate with China for a win-win situation.
If the Kyaukphyu Port project can be launched, then the mainland will gain an incomparably huge advantage in the future world situation.
Resources:
The signing ceremony of the supplementary agreement on the Kyaukphyu deep-water port in Myanmar was held in Naypyidaw-2023-12-27 20:43·People's Daily Online
Hong Kong media: Substantial progress in the China-Myanmar Kyaukphyu Port project will bring significant economic benefits - China's Belt and Road Network