Abstract
(ProQuest: ... denotes non-US-ASCII text omitted.)Analysis by David Peneau based on:- Li Yibo, ... (Is Burma the American Army's Next Water Lily in Asia?), Huanqiu wang, 7 December 2012.- Shi Qingren,(1) ... (The United States'Objective is to Counterbalance Chinese Influence in Burma), Zhongguo qingnian bao, 4 January 2013.- Wang Dong, (2) ... (How Should China React to the Current 'Changes' in Burma?), Huanqiu wang, 5 December 2012.- Xiao Ke, (3) ... (Reflections on the Revolution and its Perspectives), Xiandai guoji guanxi, No. 10, 2012.- Zhou Xinyu, (4) ... (Comments on the Shift of the United States' Policy in Burma), Xiandai guoji guanxi, No. 2, 2012.During the span of two years,® in the eyes of the United States (US) Burma has gone from pariah - once referred to as a rogue state - to country that has initiated democratic reforms and which should be encouraged. The thawing of the relationship between the two countries was made tangible by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's historic visits (in November 2011 and December 2012, respectively). However, the Sino-Burmese relationship is still marred by the economic and commercial sanctions® put in place by the United States in the aftermath of General Saw Maung's bloody coup d'Etat 1988. This economic and diplomatic isolation of Burma has encouraged the development of special relationship with China. China has constructed roads and pipelines in this neighbouring country and continues to exploit Burma's natural resources.The sudden thaw in diplomatic relations with the US and Europe has completely transformed Burma's perspective within two-year period. How do the Chinese media perceive US interest in country that Beijing considers strategic for its security?All of the five selected articles comment on the reforms currently taking place in Burma. All of them question the and American motivations that direct this tighter relationship, and what it means for China.Indeed, the authors describe at length the strategic importance that Burma holds for China. It is first and foremost bridge, explains Li Yibo, between China and the Indian Ocean, geographical link that would allow Beijing to resolve the Malacca dilemma (maliujia kunju ... of which the authors are well aware. Beijing is building pipeline between Yunnan and the port city of Kyaukpyu in hopes of one day carrying fuel imported from Africa and the Middle East. With no expense spared, China is also renovating the mythical Burmese route (Mandalay-Kunming), which following its use in the transport of American weapons for the Kuomintang during World War II could become the most prominent canal of SinoBurmese trade. Burma's natural resources (oil, copper, hydraulic energy) are coveted by the Chinese authorities.Beyond the strategic interest that Burma represents for China, the five articles recount the historic relations between the two countries, which are founded in part, according to Xiao Ke, on shared history of Japanese colonialism, common economic interests, and China's support for Burma when it was ostracised. For all these reasons, the Sino-Burmese relationship is, for the authors, special and inevitably close. It is worth noting that the authors do not fail to remark that in both Chinese and Burmese, this relationship is known by an evocative term: paukphaw (baobo ElS in Chinese).®The agenda: To break free from economic and commercial sanctions or to move away from China's sphere of influence?Each of the authors offers an explanation for the reasons that led president Thein Sein to turn towards the United States. Behind this flip-flop, there would be purely pragmatic reasons resulting from Burma's eagerness to break the economic sanctions that have been weighing on It since 1988. With the Americans playing game of carrot and stick, Zhou Xinyu explains that the authorities had no choice but to reform the regime In the hopes of ending the sanctions. …
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