Chinese billions cement foothold in Myanmar ahead of Rohingya genocide ruling
XI JINPING is visiting Myanmar to finalise billions of dollars in investment projects and to shore up Beijing’s influence over the south-east Asian nation shunned by the West over its brutal policies towards Rohingya Muslims.
The two-day trip is Mr Xi’s first state visit this year, and the first by a Chinese president in 20 years. He is expected to meet Myanmar president U Win Myint and Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto government leader.
Deals on the table include a landmark £1billion deep-sea port in western Rakhine state, the centre of the Rohingya conflict. Related projects are also planned, including a high-speed rail link connecting the port to southern China, along with a vast industrial park.
Together, these infrastructure investments are seen as China’s gateway to the Indian Ocean.
Both nations have hailed the trip as bringing them closer than ever: China is already Myanmar’s top trading partner.
But experts say it is a fraught relationship, which many in resource-rich Myanmar fear will be mainly extractive, although the visit comes at a convenient time for the two sides to cosy up.
“For China, their interests are clear – keep Myanmar within their zone of influence, maximise their infrastructure investments, and through this develop their own access to the Indian Ocean,” said Champa Patel, director of the Asia-pacific programme at Chatham House.
For Myanmar, agreeing to more investment is a way to thank the Chinese government for its support in other areas, such as backing Ms Suu Kyi’s defiant stand against international condemnation over ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims.
Next Thursday, the International Court of Justice, the UN’S highest court, is set to rule on a request for emergency measures in a genocide case filed by Gambia against Myanmar, stemming from the brutal military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in 2017 that forced more than 730,000 to flee.