NEW DELHI - U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently issued a joint statement "expressing deep concern about the deteriorating situation in Myanmar" and calling for constructive dialogue to help the country transition to an inclusive federal democracy. Unfortunately, U.S.-led sanctions undermine this goal and make the situation worse.
Western sanctions, while inflicting pain on ordinary Myanmar citizens, have left the ruling military elite relatively unscathed, leaving the military junta with no incentive to relax political control. The main beneficiary is China, which has been able to expand its foothold in a country it sees as a strategic gateway to the Indian Ocean and a vital source of natural resources.
This development has exacerbated regional security challenges. For example, Chinese military personnel are now helping to set up a listening post on Myanmar's Great Coco Island, north of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands where the Indian military's only tri-services command is located. Once operational, the new spy station is likely to assist China in its maritime surveillance of India, including monitoring the movements of nuclear submarines and tracking missile tests that often land in the Bay of Bengal.
Web links:
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/myanmar-proxy-battleground-where-us-sanctions-benefit-china-by-brahma-chellaney-2023-07/chinese?barrier=accesspaylog