Myanmar’s Perception and Strategy toward China’s BRI Expansion on Three Major Projects Development: Hedging Strategic Framework with State-Market-Society Analysis

Abstract

After the political transition of Myanmar in 2011, Myanmar toward China’s engagement strategy has led the changes from the state-to-state relations into the multi-layered relations and even into open domestic and foreign connection. Myanmar’s foreign policy has also challenged the Beijing’s economic and political interests in Myanmar in terms of major economic projects such as the case of Myanmar’s Government one-sided suspension for Myit Sone Dam projects in Kachin State, Kyauk Phyu Deep Sea Port, New Yangon Development Project, and Special Economic Zones (SEZs) projects along the China-Myanmar Border. In this sense, it could be interesting to find the Myanmar’s hedging policy on China’s engagement and China’s responses to Myanmar’s development. Moreover, Myanmar has agreed the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) which is strategically important for China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Among the various China’s BRI projects in Myanmar, every case has the different characteristic, pattern, and situation, in terms of the different fundamental interaction relations among the state, market and society. Thus, this research paper seeks the three unique cases of BRI projects in Myanmar from the political economic hedging framework via the state-market-society perspective, such as the Kyauk Phyu Deep Sea Port Project (currently running), Myit Sone Done Projects (currently suspending), and the New Yangon Development Project (still negotiating). Three major projects in Myanmar stand for three different patterns of Myanmar’s state-market-society relations and their general hedging considerations.