Myanmar a good role model for bilateral ties

By Bi Shihong Source:Global Times Published: 2014-7-3 20:33:01

Illustration: Peter C.Espina/GT

Myanmar's President U Thein Sein visited Beijing and attended the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence on June 28.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were jointly issued by the Chinese government, the Indian government and the Myanmese government in 1954, which defined the basic norms of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.

At the Bandung Conference in April 1955, the five principles were recognized by most countries, and in particular, developing nations. Now they have become norms governing relations among countries with different systems, not only reflecting the common aspirations of people throughout the world but also conforming to the need for the development of modern state-to-state relations.

The five principles have not only helped China and Myanmar coexist with each other peacefully for the past decades, but also played an important role in promoting bilateral relations.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have been enjoying a mature relationship thanks to increasing mutual understanding and adjusted policies despite twists and turns in the 1960s.

Support for political parties with the same ideology in other countries, objections to regimes with different ideologies or political stances, and xenophobia out of ultranationalism all go against these principles and sabotage state-to-state relations.

Since the new Myanmese leadership assumed office in March 2011, China has adjusted its Myanmar policy on many fronts, effectively exploring a way to construct relations between countries with different scales.

Beijing has beefed up efforts to encourage people-to-people exchanges, making a starkly distinct comparison with government-led communication in the past. China has urged its enterprises investing in Myanmar to meet their social responsibilities. The Chinese government and corporations adopted major adjustments after the Myitsone dam project was suspended and some other major Chinese-invested projects were politicized. In addition, China has played an active role in negotiations between ethnic armed forces in northern Myanmar and the government.

In the future China can make some improvements in several aspects to mold Sino-Myanmese relations to be a paragon in state-to-state relations.

To start with, we should strengthen top-level design, institutional building and the enforcement of policies. We need to attach importance to Myanmar's significant role in China's peripheral diplomacy and opening-up to the outside world. A bilateral cooperation mechanism in politics, economy and security is a favorable option that can be established between China and Myanmar to tackle major issues in bilateral relations. We can also reform our foreign aid system by drawing Japan's experience in offering official development aid.

Then, we should spare no effort to resolve major issues with Myanmar. We need to interact more with the whole of Myanmese society and promote their understanding of Beijing through both government-led diplomacy and public diplomacy. Plus, we should try to change the status quo where Chinese enterprises only eye Myanmar's resources development.

Practical and effective economic cooperation must be propelled in an active way. We can consider transferring our investment in Myanmar from the current resources development to processing, manufacturing, agriculture and service industries. Chinese corporations should choose investment programs in line with the mid-to-long-term development plan of Myanmar as well as the demand of local residents to gain mutual benefit and win-win progress.

China also needs to launch reforms in diplomacy to make its ties with Myanmar to serve as a paragon in the relations between countries in different scales. Only by gradually improving its Myanmar policy and strategy will Beijing possibly realize sustainable development in its relations with Nay Pyi Taw.

The author is a professor at the School of International Studies at Yunnan University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn



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