Is Burma the site of US-China competition? Or is Burma going to try to play both sides against the middle? Or will Burma's actions result in China adapting the way it does business with its regional neighbors? Excerpt:
The public outcry could also force China to rethink its often insensitive – some would say aggressive – policies towards smaller countries in the region.
Burma: Trouble Brewing for China
Government tolerates freedom of expression, and the Burmese target Chinese investments
Bertil Lintner
YaleGlobal, 5 November 2012
Burma’s government is trying to win over the Burmese people and the West, and one way has been to suspend unpopular deals with China. In September 2011, the government suspended construction of the controversial Myitsone hydroelectric dam. Now protests are underway against a Chinese firm, Wanbao Mining, which signed an agreement in June to mine copper in Monywa. Burma’s reactions could serve as a model for other countries with similar deals with China. The public outcry against projects that dislocate small communities, destroy fields or pollute waterways could force China to repackage its policies towards smaller countries in the region, explains Burmese-speaking journalist and author Bertil Lintner, reporting from Monywa after being barred from Burma for more than two decades. Two women who sell vegetables in Monywa started the campaign, taking advantage of Burma’s government allowing more freedom of expression, particularly when other nations are the target. Lintner reports that Burma’s new political winds are no accident – in in 2004 a master plan was drafted, aiming to diversify foreign relations and promote a new “era of globalization.” – YaleGlobal
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