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Since February 2021, Myanmar has been enduring one of the darkest periods in its history. The military junta, which toppled the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has plunged the country into a bloodbath.
However, far from facing the international sanctions it deserves for such brutality, the regime is effectively being rewarded by the dirty games of global powers. In particular, the "red carpet diplomacy" conducted by China and India is suffocating the cries for democracy of the Myanmar people, breathing life into a failing military junta.
China’s Strategic Betrayal Under the Mask of "Kinship"
The grand reception Beijing offered to Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing is not merely a diplomatic courtesy; it is an act of complicity in crimes against democracy. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s rhetoric of "kinship" serves as a cover that legitimizes the human rights abuses committed by the military regime.
For China, Myanmar is not about the freedom or well-being of its people; it is merely a strategic corridor to reduce dependence on the Strait of Malacca and a site for imperialist investments such as the Kyaukphyu Port. Beijing’s calls for "stability" are not based on a genuine desire for peace, but rather on a "selective" logic designed to protect its own investments and suppress crime along the border.
When China’s economic interests are threatened, it reins in the junta; however, this is never a peace-making effort—on the contrary, it is an investment protection ploy based on using the regime for its own interests.
India’s "Modest" Yet Toxic Search for Legitimacy
On the other side, India finds itself caught between its democratic rhetoric and its strategic necessities in the region. By hosting Min Aung Hlaing, New Delhi has opened a door of legitimacy to the junta, dealing a blow to the resistance of the Myanmar people.
This rivalry between India and China over Myanmar is effectively a game of chess played over the fate of the Myanmar people. As both regional powers use Myanmar’s territory as a stepping stone for their own projects, they are serving up the international "recognition" the junta leader so desperately craves on a silver platter.
Why Has the Junta Been Emboldened?
The full-scale ceremonial support provided by China grants the junta a false sense of confidence to escalate its brutal "military approach" against resistance forces. With the backing of Beijing, the junta leader no longer views himself merely as a "putschist" but as a strategic partner of China.
Despite the exclusionary stance of ASEAN, the support of these major powers leads the junta to believe that it can overcome regional sanctions and consolidate its power through a facade of "artificial stability."
People’s Resistance Crushed by the Interests of Powers
The presence of China and India in Myanmar does not pave the way for peace; rather, it functions as an oxygen tank that fuels the conflict and extends the life of the junta. Messages like "clean up your own house" are nothing more than a curtain concealing the violence the regime inflicts upon its own people.
As the people of Myanmar struggle at the cost of their lives for a democratic future, the imperialist rivalry of China and India, masked by "strategic necessity," pushes the region further into instability.
As long as these powers continue to imprison Myanmar’s future not in democracy, but in their commercial corridors and ports, the only winner in the regional civil war will continue to be the oppressive junta, and the only losers will remain the people of Myanmar.
