Myanmar Reemerges as Frontline in India-China Rivalry
Rare earths, a deep-water port, and a way around the Malacca chokepoint. Min Aung Hlaing's two visits twelve days apart show what both Delhi and Beijing want from Myanmar.
Following his first foreign visit to India, Myanmar’s president, U Min Aung Hlaing, travelled to China. While his visit to New Delhi was widely interpreted as an attempt by Naypyidaw to secure international legitimacy for the new government and reduce its dependence on Beijing by expanding its strategic options, his subsequent visit to China demonstrated that Myanmar cannot simply abandon its most influential partner. Taken together, the two visits suggest that geopolitical competition in South Asia and the Bay of Bengal is entering a new phase.
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