Foreign Minister Krishna in Myanmar as India Seeks to Offset China’s Sway

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Foreign Minister Krishna in Myanmar as India Seeks to Offset China

India’s Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna began a three-day visit to Myanmar today, holding the first high-level talks with the government elected in November as he seeks to counter China’s influence in the country.

Krishna, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, will meet Myanmar President Thein Sein to discuss increasing trade and cooperation in areas such as energy and defense. The governments will also discuss work on the Kaladan project that will improve transport links across their border, Krishna told reporters in New Delhi today.

“India wants to strengthen its economic ties with Myanmar, it doesn’t want it to go completely into the embrace of China,” said S. Chandrasekharan, director of the South Asia Analysis Group, a policy-research organization in New Delhi. “China has a head start in terms of influence. India started late so it is now looking to catch up.”

India and China are competing around the world to secure oil, gas and metals to feed their fast-growing economies. The two countries are investing in ports, railways and oil and gas pipelines in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, that give them access to natural resources and trade routes in the Indian Ocean region.

November’s elections, the first in Myanmar in two decades, were won by the military junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party. The United Nations condemned the vote for excluding pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and about 2,100 political prisoners. Suu Kyi was released from house arrest on Nov. 13, six days after the poll.

Energy Projects

Myanmar, sandwiched between China and India, Asia’s two fastest growing economies, is a resource rich country, with a proven 20 trillion cubic feet (570 billion cubic meters) of natural gas and mines that are potentially the world’s greatest source of high-quality rubies and jadeite jade.

Last year, China National Petroleum Corp. started building oil and gas pipelines across the country, and India approved plans for Oil & Natural Gas Corp. and GAIL India Ltd. to invest a combined $1.3 billion in a natural gas project.

Thein Sein met Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing on May 27, securing a series of financial agreements, including a 540 million euro ($776 million) line of credit from a government lender.

Indian bilateral trade with Myanmar has more than doubled since 2006 and reached $1.5 billion last year, according to Indian government figures.

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The Hindu : Front Page : “No anti-India activities from our soil”


External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna (third from left) along with Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao pays respects at the mausoleum of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal Emperor of India, in Yangon on Monday.



Nay Pyi Taw: Myanmar gave “firm assurances” to India on Tuesday that its territory would not be used for anti-India activities, even as their Foreign Ministers held a series of “positive and constructive” meetings with focus on cooperation in security, energy and agriculture.

External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna, who is a on a three-day visit to the country to talk and understand the “priorities and thinking” of the recently formed civilian government, held bilateral talks with the country's Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin.

On the issue of security cooperation, sources said Myanmar had reiterated its “firm assurances” that the country's territory would not be allowed to be used for anti-India activities.

Security cooperation has been a major part of bilateral relations because of the long border that Myanmar shares with four northeast States. Many insurgent groups operating in the area are known to take advantage of the thick jungles along the border in Myanmar to take refuge.

“Talks positive”

Mr. Krishna also called on Vice-President U Tin Aung Myint Oo in the evening besides holding meeting with the Minister for Electric Power.

“The talks were excellent, positive, constructive and forward-looking,” a member of the Indian delegation said when asked about the bilateral meetings held.

While the meetings were a bid to foster strategic and economic ties between the neighbours, sources said a number of issues with regard to cooperation in the field of health and agriculture were also discussed.

India also congratulated Myanmar on holding successful elections that saw the formation of the first civilian government in years.

Help from India

India has in principle agreed to modernise the children's hospital in Yangon by supplying latest equipment and offering other help. Talks are also on to build a state-of-the-art general hospital in Sittwe with Indian help, sources said.

Extending a helping hand to cyclone-prone Myanmar, India handed over 10 modern and disaster-proof rice silos built at a cost of $2 million to preserve grains during natural calamities. Mr. Krishna inaugurated the silos, having a combined storage capacity of 5,000 tonnes.

While cooperation in the agriculture field is an ongoing phenomenon, sources said a team from the Ministry of Agriculture led by agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan would soon be visiting Myanmar to understand the country's needs and the possible help that can be extended.

India has already agreed to provide a grant of $10 million for procurement of agricultural tools, besides providing 100 computers to the Central Land Records, as requested by Myanmar. Sources said discussions were also held on setting up an Agricultural Research Centre in Yezin.

Temple restoration

India has agreed to send a team from the Archaeological Survey of India to render its services in the restoration of 11th century Ananda temple in Bagan in Mandalay region.

On the economic side, both countries expressed happiness at the rapid growth of trade but noted that there was also a large untapped market, sources said. — PTI