8 Reads
India and China race to get foot on the ground in Myanmar. Myanmar is important to both countries because of its strategic location and its natural resources. At the premier regard this contest leads to rivalry. First, the two regional powers are impatient to expand their political spheres of influence: in this regard Myanmar can be considered as a battlefield where two diplomatic offensives collide. Second, New Delhi and Beijing make eyes at Myanmar's oil and natural gas deposits: deposits they necessitate to suffice their surging energy consumption. Third, the country is a natural logistic corridor: ashore as well offshore it gives pass-trough to important trade routes on which both India and China depend. However, it is doubtful these realistic calculations will lead instantly to a full-fledged showdown. Instead, both powers desperately need a stable environment. Consequently, this brings us to the interior situation of Myanmar, which is, as we will sketch out briefly, not stable at all. The question rises whether India and China are prepared to address these hazardous circumstances. Can they, from the perspective of their realpolitik, engage and even join forces to foster a more stable environment? In this regard, I will argue that a certain synergy is taking shape. In an implicit and cautious manner India and China try to persuade Yangon to create a more stable environment. Nonetheless, even despite this teamed engagement, sustainable cooperation remains doubtful.