... initiatives once and for all. China transitioned from the strategy of being a neutral mediator to the multilateral diplomacy of an indirect participant in the conflict. For instance, in 2013, when the Yunnan province was inundated with refugees from Myanmar, China appointed a special envoy as a leading contact person and official observer at peace talks. As time went by, this office was transformed from an
ad hoc
to a standing institution and today it still promotes talks between ethnic armed organizations ...
... joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in late 1997, its military leaders could not fail to see that their country lagged behind its neighbours, Thailand and Malaysia. At the same time, the western political and economic blockade tied Myanmar to China tighter and tighter, and Myanmar’s subordinate position in this bilateral pairing antagonized the country’s nationalists. The only way to follow the middle way in foreign politics and balance China’s pull and repair relations with ...
... Myanmar’s opposition party National League for Democracy (NLD) began a five-day visit to China. After being released from house arrest over four years ago, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner has visited many countries in North America, Europe and Asia. Yet China, Myanmar’s most important partner and a major investor, has not established direct contact with either Aung San Suu Kyi or her party. More than a year passed after her release in November 2010 before she met with the Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar....
