By Dingding Chen
How will Myanmar’s new government affect relations between it and China?
The landslide victory of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) in last Sunday’s elections is a turning point in Myanmar’ s history. The NLD will have an opportunity to rule alone, given its super majority in the national parliament.
How will an NLD government in Myanmar affect the country’s ties with China? Already, analysts are debating the possible impact of this new government on China-Myanmar relations. There are some legitimate worries that matters could deteriorate.
Some in China are worried that a new government, led by Suu Kyi, might choose to side with the U.S. and Japan in balancing against China. Because of its pro-democracy values and ideology, the NLD might find natural support from these countries. Of course, it is no secret that the U.S. and Japan are working hard to increase their influence in Southeast Asia, including in Myanmar. To a certain degree, China and Japan are also competing for influence and impact in Myanmar. The NLD, however, has not established a working relationship with China, thus leaving many Chinese experts concerned.
Such a view, though plausible, might be superficial if one looks closely at Myanmar’s political reality. A stable and effective China-Myanmar relationship, in the end, will only benefit both countries for a set of reasons.
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