Foreign Relations Since Political Transition Of Myanmar

The significant transition has happened in Myanmar after the general election in November2010, the major domestic and foreign affairs have also changed, the new Myanmar’s government diplomacy becomes very active. The international communities including western countries, Myanmar’s neighboring countries and China are also expecting the transition and actively developing relations with Myanmar, hoping the relations to a new level so as to adapt to the so many changes.Myanmar’s transition has been continuing, so has the diplomatic change. This paper tries to analyze Myanmar’s series of changes about foreign relations from2011,to analyze the relevant factors and problems of Myanmar’s foreign affairs combing the diplomacy in2011years ago, to analyze the related factors and problems of diplomatic trends after the2015election in Myanmar.Myanmar, since its independence, has pursued neutralism diplomacy in order to safeguard its sovereignty, security and the core national interests. Myanmar’s neutralism diplomacy has some stage characteristics, such as the non-aligned neutralism, isolation of neutralism, the neutralism of balance diplomacy, etc., but Myanmar’s neutralism core has always existed from very beginning. Because of its neutralism diplomacy, Myanmar will be named as an important country in regional affairs, to safeguard national core interests, to play a positive role in regional affairs independently. Since the establishment of the new government, the diplomatic transition has started the neutralism to expand the international space. Positivity, balance and neutrality become the characteristics of the Myanmar’s diplomacy; Myanmar wants to expand its diplomatic activity space by the transition of national major policy, to promote the steady development of the country’s political, economic and social development in a big span, and to promote its international image and status.Myanmar’s diplomacy may be divided into three important parts from its diplomatic history and the reality since2011, namely, diplomacy between Myanmar and the western countries, with its neighboring countries, and with China. Each part has its different functions:Relations with the West decide its international activity space; Relations with its neighboring countries are Myanmar’s platform, on which Myanmar shows its image as an important regional country, playing an important role in solving specific problems in that region; Relations with China’s diplomacy is Myanmar’s basic support. Relying on this basic support, Myanmar can better the diplomacy with the other two parts. The most outstanding characteristics of Myanmar’s diplomatic transition is that the transition has promoted the three parts of diplomacy including political and economic relations comprehensively, balanced and actively on the whole.In the relationship since1988between the United States and its Allies and Myanmar, the most prominent is the set of contradictions caused by the two questions (democracy and sanctions), which has eased since2011.The normalization of relations between the west and Myanmar has come true, and the west has partly relieved its sanctions against Myanmar. But this group of contradictions has not been solved since2011, it is still the fundamental obstacle existed in the relationship between the United States and its Allies and Myanmar.The focus of this group of contradictions is on judge of Myanmar’s political transition:As part of Myanmar, they think that political transition and democratization have already been implemented and completed, demanding that the United States and its Allies completely relieve sanctions against Myanmar, developing relation positively and comprehensively with Myanmar; While the United States thinks that "democratization" of Myanmar is far to complete, to keep pressure by sanctions.The essence of this group of contradiction is the gap about the transition of Myanmar between the two countries, Myanmar wants to promote the normalization of relations with the United States all-round, while the United States hopes to promote the change of Myanmar’s regime, wishing Myanmar completely to become chess pieces of its strategic layout. Around the new elections, the relationship between the United States and Myanmar has cooled since May2014. Since2011, the development of relations between Myanmar and its neighboring countries including India, Thailand and ASEAN have three aspects:the first one is the political support, for example, ASEAN supports Myanmar to bear the presidency ahead of schedule; the second one is economic cooperation deepening, for example, the promotion of the special zone construction project in Myanmar of India and Thailand; the third one is the strengthening of border management, for example, the three countries carry out a new cooperation on comprehensive security and regional economic development. The problems existing in the neighboring countries and Myanmar have also three levels:the one is the touch India and Thailand keep in with the Myanmar’s pro-democracy including Aung San Suu Kyi, on the issue of "democracy", India and Thailand, though different from the United States, have also actively concerned about Myanmar’s democratization; the two is the change of international environment and situation, such as the construction of the ASEAN community, international financial and economic situation, the pressure from the United States, will bring influence on the relations between Myanmar and its neighboring countries. The three is domestic situation, the change of Thailand’s political situation in2014caused impact on bilateral relations.China and Myanmar established a comprehensive strategic partnership in2011, the two countries actively strengthen and improve the mutual relations to fit the diplomatic situation after transition of Myanmar; Economically, the two countries attach importance to the cooperation of major projects, built the oil and gas pipelines and trial operation in2013.Yet, some major projects set in the twists and turns, such as some a hydropower station is suspended and some copper project stagnated; The two countries further deepen cooperation on border management, especially on the army and law enforcement. The development of relations between China and Myanmar are facing pressures and challenges from Myanmar’s new diplomatic pattern as well as its domestic political environment, the two governments and the ruling parties have been keeping the steady development of the mutual relations.Great changes have taken place in Myanmar’s diplomacy since2011, Myanmar’s diplomacy appears new situation, but there are some significant problems unresolved, and some new problems appeared; Myanmar’s national political transition is still in progress, so is Myanmar’s diplomatic transition, including the impact of general election in2015on Myanmar’s diplomacy.