China and Myanmar: Friends and Neighbors

By+staff+reporter+HOU+RUILI

ALONG the 2，100-odd-kilometer border be- tween China and Myanmar， people living on the frontiers build increasingly closer ties. They do business with and marry each other. They become friends and relatives and together， they worship Buddha and chant scriptures， living as brothers and sisters. What is interesting is that many of the villages in the border regions are half Chinese and half Myanmese. In Yinjin Village， for example， there is a well that is visited by people coming to fetch water every day – and those visitors include both Chinese and Myanmese people， each considering the other not as foreigners but as compatriots.

When the boundary marker was erected， it was built in the backyard of a local Dai family at Tunhong Ferry in Ruili City， Yunnan Province， creating a unique situation of “one family， two countries.” A look at the history of Sino-Myanmese relations as well as the current state of affairs shows that this idea extends to the two nations， too.

Long-standing Friendship

According to the Treatise on Geography of Hanshu， or History of the Han Dynasty， Sino-Myanmese ties began when businessmen from Chinas inland provinces such as Sichuan and Hubei opened up a road to link Sichuan and Yunnan with India and Myanmar. It was called the “Gold and Silver Road” by the Myanmese. Along this road， Chinese tradesmen transported Ramie fabric， silk and porcelain to countries such as Myanmar， India and Afghanistan.

As early as AD 94 during the Eastern Han Dynasty（25-220）， the kingdoms of different tribes in Myanmar repeatedly sent envoys to China. In the Yuan （1271-1368）， Ming （1368-1644） and Qing （1644-1911） dynasties， many mutual diplomatic exchanges were conducted. The close friendship that has been developing for over 2，000 years has led the Myanmese to consider the Chinese as their compatriots and relatives.

In modern times， people of China and Myanmar have supported each other in their fights for national independence. In 1885， British colonists launched the Third Anglo-Myanmese War， occupying Mandalay， the last royal capital of Myanmar. The king， Thibaw Min， was captured and exiled and Myanmar came under the rule of the British Raj as a province of India. After the imperial palace in Mandalay was occupied， King Thibaws grandson immediately mobilized the people to fight against the British invaders. However， after a four-year-long resistance， he failed. He retreated with the remaining troops to China， where they received both shelter and help from the Chinese people. The hero of this war， who lived into his 80s， wished to be buried in China and his tomb is in todays Mangshi of Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province.

During World War II， the people of Myanmar and China co-built the Dianmian Highway， devoting their lives to its construction. It has been described as Chinas lifeline during the war against Japanese aggression. Thanks to active support from overseas Chinese in Southeast Asian nations and the Myanmese people， international aid could be transported along this route to the battlefields， providing powerful support.

In January 1942， Japanese invaders stormed Myanmar to cut off the Dianmian Highway. The Chinese Expeditionary Force， consisting of 100，000 soldiers， went to Myanmar and fought a bloody battle against the Japanese troops. Over 60，000 heroic martyrs were buried forever in Myanmar.

In the anti-Japanese battlefields of western Yunnan and Myanmar， people of China and Myanmar worked together with the allied forces to combat the Japanese aggressors and finally achieved victory， driving the Japanese out of Myanmar.

Solid Foundation for Sino-Myanmese Relations

China and Myanmar formally established diplomatic relations on June 8， 1950. In the 1950s， the two countries co-advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. In the 1960s， the two sides successfully settled historical boundary issues， based on the principle of friendly negotiation and mutual understanding， setting an example for the solution of border issues for other countries. For a long time， China and Myanmar have maintained good neighborly and friendly relations and smooth cooperation in international and regional affairs， with bilateral ties seeing stable development.

Leaders of China and Myanmar have maintained the tradition of visiting each other. Premier Zhou Enlai went to Myanmar nine times and U Ne Win took 12 trips to China， so personifying Sino-Myanmese friendship.

Since reform and opening-up， China and Myanmar have conducted a wide range of high-level， all-round exchanges and cooperation in the fields of politics， economy， culture， religion and anti-narcotics operations.

In April 1980， the Chinese government agreed to help construct the Thanlyin Bridge， the largest bridge with both rail- and roadways in Southeast Asia. After seven years of construction， the bridge was opened to traffic in 1993. The project was hailed as a new milestone in the history of Sino-Myanmese relations.

In December 2001， Jiang Zemin， then president of China， paid a state visit to Myanmar. The event marked the first visit to Myanmar by a top Chinese leader. The two sides set agriculture， human resources and resource development as important fields for cooperation and signed relevant cooperation agreements. The visit consolidated and pushed forward the traditional good relations and friendship between China and Myanmar in the new century.

In 2011， China and Myanmar established a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. The two sides reached a series of agreements in a joint statement： The two sides will maintain close high-level contacts， promote strategic mutual trust， exchange views on international and regional hotspot issues， enhance the degree and level of economic cooperation， and conduct friendly cooperation in various fields.

In April 2013， Myanmese President U Thein Sein attended the Boao Forum for Asia and conducted a state visit to China. Compared with four years ago when U Thein Sein visited China as prime minister， his visit this time as president was more significant. At that time Myanmar was still under Western sanctions， but now reforms have been carried out in various areas.

During the Boao Forum for Asia， the two countries published a joint communiqué， publicizing their long-standing friendship. Since diplomatic relations were established， China and Myanmar have promoted the development of bilateral relations on the basis of mutual respect and equality， bringing pragmatic benefits to the people of both countries.

According to Dr. Phone Win of Mingalar Myanmar， a Myanmarbased NGO， the frequency with which President U Thein Sein has visited China demonstrates the great importance of the SinoMyanmese relationship. Currently， Myanmar is implementing an independent and balanced foreign policy to develop relations with big and neighboring countries. China is both a big and a neighboring country； therefore， the need for Myanmar to develop Sino-Myanmese relations is obvious. China is reaping the rewards of three decades of reform and opening-up， which shows that it has chosen the right path. President U Thein Sein frequently visits China because he wants to learn from the country. Myanmar is working on improving the situation of its remote areas and China has much experience to offer in this regard.

Mutual Benefits from Trade and Economic Cooperation

Today， China is Myanmars largest trading partner. According to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce of China， in the first half of 2013， the trading volume between China and Myanmar reached US$4.38 billion， a year-on-year increase of 25.9 percent.

Dr. Win holds that in terms of economics， China is an indispensable market for Myanmar. Its exports to China are mainly agricultural products and timber. He hopes Myanmar can enhance production capacity and increase exports of products with high added value in the future. In terms of investment， China has become Myanmars biggest investment partner. In recent years China has accumulated a large amount of foreign exchange reserve， while Myanmar is short of money in infrastructure construction. Therefore， if economically powerful Chinese enterprises can invest in Myanmar in such areas as transport， energy and electric power development， a win-win result can be realized.

There has been a steady increase in the number of economic agreements signed between China and Myanmar. In 1971， the two countries signed a trade agreement， giving each other “most-favored nation” status； in 1994， they signed a memorandum of understanding on border trade； in 1997， an agreement on establishing a joint working committee on economic， trade and technological cooperation was concluded； and in 2001， the two governments signed an agreement on encouraging， promoting and protecting investment.

In 2011， with the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership， the two sides signed a number of agreements in areas of economic and technological cooperation， preferential loans and infrastructure construction.

In recent years， Chinese companies have actively participated in economic construction in Myanmar by providing advanced technology and equipment. Many projects such as diesel engine plants， tire factories and textile mills have started to yield results. Hydroelectric projects in Myanmar involving Chinese enterprises have contributed to the grid， easing the power shortage there. The construction of bridges over the Irrawaddy River has further enhanced local transportation and boosted local economic development.

In the process of investing in Myanmar， the Chinese side has paid special attention to corporate social respon-sibility and environmental protection.

In Kyaukphyu， where the Sino-Myanmese Oil and Natural Gas Pipelines started， the China National Petroleum Corporation （CNPC）， which is responsible for the project， built a reservoir with a storage capacity of 650，000 cubic meters and diverted running water to three nearby villages. Meanwhile， the CNPC donated over US $1.3 million to construct two middle schools and six elementary schools in four states along the pipeline route. In addition， the CNPC also invested US $6 million to improve the facilities of local hospitals.

The China Power Investment Corporation （CPI） is responsible for the Myitsone Dam project. Of the total investment of US $25.055 million， US $18.55 million was used for the relocation of nearby residents， averaging US$8，644 per person. Aung Min Thar， one of the resettlement villages built under the investment of the CPI， has become an example of success in local rural area development. The new buildings in the village include a school， a temple， a church and a hospital.

According to the requirements of the Myanmese government， the CPI adopted the Environmental Assessment Guidelines of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank and entrusted the Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association （BANCA） and the Yangtze River Design Company to conduct environmental assessments on Myitsone Dam. Over 100 experts from China and Myanmar worked to assess the impact of the project on the environment of nearby basins and reached a favorable conclusion.

In fact， professional supervisors were invited to ensure environmental protection in the process of pipeline construction. While constructing the crude oil wharf， the CNPC strictly followed regulations that stones， earth and trees can only be obtained in acquired areas. When building the Tagaung Taung Nickel Mine on the bank of the Irrawaddy River， the Chinese enterprise invested nearly RMB 240 million to construct the most advanced dustcollecting system.

Rich Cultural Exchanges

According to historical records， cultural exchanges between China and Myanmar date back to the Han Dynasty. During the flourishing Tang Dynasty， the prince of Pyu State led a group of musicians to visit Changan， the ancient capital of China.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties， cultural exchanges have become more frequent. During the Chinese National Day holiday in 1960， U Nu， then prime minister of Myanmar， led a delegation of more than 400 members from the fields of culture， art and film to visit China， and Myanmese Culture Week was held in Beijing. In return， during Myanmars Independence Day in January 1961， Premier Zhou Enlai led a delegation of over 530 people from the fields of culture， art and film to Myanmar， and the Chinese Culture Week took place in Yangon. Since the 1980s， the two nations have seen frequent high-level visits， with 13 at the ministerial level. In January 1996， the cultural ministries of China and Myanmar signed an agreement on cultural cooperation.

As Sino-Myanmese ties become tighter， the two countries see increasingly closer cooperation and frequent exchanges in art， literature， film， journalism， education， religion， archaeology and book publication. Statistics show that the number of mutual visits between the two countries has exceeded 600 since diplomatic relations were established. The Tooth Relic of Buddha， a national cultural relic of China， has been conveyed to Myanmar four times for public obeisance and received warm welcome from the Myanmese government and society.

And the list of cultural connections goes on： Since 1998， Myanmese art troupes have performed regularly at the Asian Arts Festival held by the Chinese Cultural Ministry. In 2004， China and Myanmar signed a memorandum of understanding on educational cooperation； in June 2005， Chinese Culture Month was successfully held in Yangon； in 2011 and 2012， Chinas Disabled Peoples Performing Art Troupe and Acrobatic Troupe staged performances in Myanmar； and in May 2012， the first ChinaMyanmar Fraternal Friendship activities were organized jointly by the China NGO Network for International Exchanges （CNIE） and the China Foundation for Peace and Development （CFPD）， in a bid to consolidate SinoMyanmese friendship， deepen pragmatic cooperation and boost traditional friendly ties.

Dr. Win holds that some concepts advocated by the Western world may not be accepted by the Myanmese people because Buddhist philosophy is deeply rooted in Myanmar. China has the advantage over the West in this regard； so with their common cultural values， there can be no doubt that the two countries will continue to successfully enhance cooperation.