原标题：Nay Pyi Taw’s power transfer calls for China to update Myanmar policy
原载于：Global Times
The National League for Democracy (NLD) has secured a majority of seats in the House of Representatives and the House of Nationalities in the 2015 general election. The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), on the other hand, suffered a crushing defeat. The NLD is what the citizens want. Despite the uncertainties over the presidency, the NLD's leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be a key figure directing Myanmar's future development. After the NLD comes into office, its relationship with China and the West has become a focus of attention.
Suu Kyi and her NLD have close ties with the West. The NLD, after the power transfer, will actively develop its relationship with the Western nations. With the US lifting sanctions on Myanmar, most Western countries will gradually increase their investment and aid to the nation and meanwhile support the new government by expanding imports from Myanmar. Under this scenario, Myanmar and the West will have increasingly intimate ties. The White House, in particular, is expected to rapidly strengthen its support to Nay Pyi Taw, increasing investment in the nation's industries, education and civil servant training. The West-Myanmar cooperation will compete against, and even squeeze, China-Myanmar cooperation.
But it doesn't mean Myanmar will tilt toward the West. Since Beijing has no territorial disputes with Nay Pyi Taw, unlike some other Southeast Asian nations, Myanmar is unlikely to become a chess piece by the US to counter China.
To maximize its national interests, Myanmar, under the NLD's governance, will continue to strike a balance between China and the US. Admittedly, Washington's clout in Nay Pyi Taw is seeing an upward trend in recent years, and the White House, especially under US President Barack Obama, has attached tremendous importance to developing its relationship with Myanmar in an attempt to cultivate the nation into its "offshore balancer" in Southeast Asia. However, with national interests prioritized, Suu Kyi and her NLD are unlikely to follow the US, or to put the nation's development under Western control.
Suu Kyi's family has a long friendship with China. She has been actively devoting herself to promoting the China-Myanmar relationship as well in recent years. During her China visit in 2015, Suu Kyi claimed that "Myanmar and China are neighbors, and neighbors cannot be selected. Developing a friendly bilateral relationship is of utmost importance. The NLD values the friendship between the two countries and admires China's remarkable achievements under the leadership of the CPC." After the general election, Suu Kyi stated that Myanmar will attach more importance to its ties with neighboring countries and will continue its friendly China policy.
China and Myanmar have become a community of common destiny and common interests. China's Yunnan Province is adjacent to Myanmar in geography. The two sides have frequent trade exchanges. With the progressing of the "One Belt, One Road," Myanmar and China will see increasing cooperation.
With the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank put into operation, China will strengthen investments in Myanmar's infrastructure. Meanwhile, Nay Pyi Taw has an urgent need for financial support. China is one of the countries in the best position to help Myanmar, where a lack of electricity is still a serious challenge.
Therefore, the NLD-led government will actively cooperate with Beijing. A path of mutual benefits is a joint choice for the two nations. Currently, China is the largest foreign investor, the largest trading partner, the largest engineering contractor and an important assistance provider for Myanmar.
Nay Pyi Taw's overall development lags behind other nations. Thus there is still a large room for China and Myanmar to cooperate under the framework of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, Lancang-Mekong River Dialogue and Cooperation Mechanism, and China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. Given the aspiration for benefits, China-Myanmar relationship will see a stable development.
China ought to be flexible in its Myanmar policy. The Chinese government should not only build a good relationship with the NLD's government, but also discuss with other major parties in Myanmar the practicability of establishing a community of common destiny, and explore new models for win-win cooperation.
The author is a research fellow with the Charhar Institute and a research fellow with the Maritime Silk Road Institute, Huaqiao University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn