Opinion | Wang Yi sweats over the stability of ASEAN
By Augustus K. Yeung
INTRODUCTION
The coming of Myanmar's political crisis since its change of administration has greatly alerted China. Beijing has been finding diplomatic ways and means of containing the problem.
One way is to send Wang Yi to play shuttle diplomacy, crisscrossing among ASEAN nations. Another means is to use its political and economic clout to deliver the message of settling the political differences between Myanmar's two rival factions to find a mutually acceptable settlement, which takes time.
Wang hopes ASEAN as a bloc can help Myanmar reach a settlement without having a third outside party politicize the situation.
The United States has a history of military intervention.
China Expects ASEAN to Encourage Myanmar to Pursue Political Reconciliation
China expects joint efforts with ASEAN to encourage Myanmar to purse political reconciliation and restart the democratic transition process, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.
Wang made the remark on July 3 in a meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, the ASEAN special enjoy for Myanmar. The talks were held in Bagan, a city in central Myanmar, on the sidelines of the seventh Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting.
Wang said China encourages all political parties in Myanmar to prioritize the overall situation and the interests of its people, take rational and practical efforts to restore stability, and achieve peace at an early date.
He also voiced the hope of working together with ASEAN to encourage Myanmar to explore a path of political development that suits its national conditions.
China expects the regional group to adhere to "the ASEAN way" and uphold the basic principles and traditions of noninterference in international affairs, and a consensus-based approach, Wang said.
ASEAN should stay focused, remove distractions, coordinate in a patient way, and constructively implement its five-point consensus to safeguard the overall unity and leading role of the group, Wang added.
Sokhonn briefed Wang about his second visit to Myanmar as ASEAN'S special envoy; Cambodia is the rotating chair of the regional group this year.
During his visit, Sokhonn paid a courtesy call to Myanmar State Administration Council Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
The two sides exchanged views on the implementation of the five-point consensus, a program agreed upon by ASEAN members to resolve the Myanmar crisis, and the current political and humanitarian situation in Myanmar.
Prak Sokhonn's Myanmar Trip Did Make Some Achievement, But…
Min Aung Hlaing expressed his full support for the fulfillment of the special envoy's mandate, while Prak Sokhonn urged the Myanmar State Administration Council to explore ways to work with the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy Noeleen Heyzer.
With so little space for dialogue, it was important to keep the lines of communication open, said Joel Ng, deputy head of the Center for Multilateralism Studies of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.
Prak Sokhonn's Myanmar trip did make some achievements, including delivering a message on the need for dialogue with the opposition. He said ASEAN needs a clear outline of the standard of progress made toward the five-point consensus.
The international community must insist on using agencies such as the United Nations for the distribution of humanitarian aid, to avoid politicization or any appearance of partiality, Ng told China Daily.
China's bilateral engagement with Myanmar on the sidelines of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting was "positive", he said.
James Gomez, regional director at the Bangkok-based research institute Asia Centre, said he does not expect more substantial achievement by the current ASEAN special envoy, since Cambodian's term as ASEAN chair will end in November.
"At this moment, there is no significant progress," Gomez told China Daily.
Wang Yi is Putting Subtle Pressure on the Junta to Work Out a Settlement with Opposition
Wang also met on July 3 with Myanmar's Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin and said Beijing cherishes China-Myanmar friendship featuring mutual respect and equal treatment.
Du Lan, deputy director of the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies, noted that China, as Myanmar's largest neighboring country, expects the neighbor to achieve political and social stability, national development and revitalization which is of vital importance for China's interests in the country.
Since Myanmar's cabinet reshuffle in February last year, Wang has met his Myanmar counterpart twice in China, and Sun Guoxiang, China's special envoy for Asian affairs, has visited Myanmar twice.
Myanmar is co-chair of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism this year, and the country is where the mechanism was first initiated. Du observed that Myanmar would like to take the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting as an opportunity to show its positive attitude to the outside world and boost internal economic recovery.
"China can also take this occasion to push Myanmar's peace negotiations and offer the country assistance to promote cooperation under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism," Du added.
China has been the biggest provider of anti-epidemic assistance to Myanmar, having offered 51 million vaccine doses to the nation so far and also helping it with filling and packaging the COVID-19 vaccine locally. (Source: China Daily)
CONCLUSION
China's refusal to side with Biden's sanctions against Russia in its conflict with Ukraine has put it in a difficult spot in the Sino-US bilateral relations at a time when Biden badly needs China's support to shore up his image as a world leader in his not-so-subtle battle with rival Donald Trump, a possible presidential contender in the 2024 election.
Furthermore, the inability of the Junta to pacify the young protesters in Myanmar is becoming clear: The Macau Daily reports, "[Myanmar] Model fearing military junta heads to asylum in Canada." But why Canada?
As Canada is a traditional U.S. ally, its role in stirring the pot should not be taken lightly by China, which has learned a lesson over the detention of Huawei's CFO, a painfully long political tug-of-war involving the U.S. and Canada.
Wang Yi's anxiety and approach must be appreciated by all parties covering the region's political spectrum.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
The author is a freelance writer; formerly Adjunct Lecturer, taught MBA Philosophy of Management, and International Strategy, and online columnist of 3-D Corner (HKU SPACE), University of Hong Kong.
Read more articles by Augustus K. Yeung:
Opinion | Singapore's Prime Minister cautions US over its China stance
Opinion | The Communist Party of China can again prove doomsayers wrong
Comment