Burma, China and the Myth of Military Bases

Quite an interesting little report here. Burma (or Myanmar!) occupies a rather strategic place in a rather dicey corner of the world. So if one of the local regional powers starts taking a close look at Burma, others get a wee bit interested, specially India.

So India has been dancing with the generals and as we have noted before, has merrily ignored the Burma boycott pressures. All because of the worry that China has military bases in Burma and that can "encircle" India.

This report says that nope, there are no military bases.

Burma, China and the Myth of Military Bases
Author: Andrew Selth DOI: 10.1080/14799850701568929
Published in: journal Asian Security, Volume 3, Issue 3 September 2007 , pages 279 - 307
Abstract
Since the advent of a new, more outward-looking military government in 1988, Burma has come to occupy a position of considerable importance in the Asia-Pacific strategic environment. Burma's burgeoning relationship with China has attracted particular attention, not least because of the stream of reports in the news media and, to a lesser extent, academic literature, claiming that China has established several naval bases and intelligence collection stations in Burma. This apparent intrusion by China into the northeast Indian Ocean has strongly influenced the strategic perceptions and policies of Burma's regional neighbors, notably India. The reported facilities have also been cited as evidence that Burma has become a client state of China, and as proof of Beijing's expansionist designs in South and Southeast Asia. A close examination of the available evidence, however, suggests that there are no Chinese military bases on Burmese soil, a fact conceded by senior Indian officials in 2005. China still has a strong strategic interest in developing its bilateral relations with Burma but, based on this analysis, it would appear that China's presence in Burma, and its current influence over Burma's military regime, have been greatly exaggerated.

All this to be taken with a grain of piquant salt!

Technorati Tags: China , India , Indian Ocean , Burma , Military