Naypyidaw: Myanmar has been grappling with a civil war for quite some time. The country has turned into a battlefield, with the Arakan Army and other rebel groups on one side and the military junta’s forces on the other. The ongoing tensions are not only impacting Myanmar but also its neighboring countries like India, China, and Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, China is attempting to exploit Myanmar’s instability to its advantage and to harm India’s interests. This has raised security concerns for India’s northeastern region. Intelligence agencies have warned India about China’s growing influence in Myanmar.
Intelligence agencies have warned that China’s growing influence in Myanmar is becoming a major threat to India. According to a CNN-News18 report, states like Manipur are particularly sensitive, as they have been facing unrest for a long time and are on China’s radar. Agencies have stated that, given China’s aggressive activities, strict surveillance is needed along the 1,693-kilometer-long India-Myanmar border.
China Deploying Radar System
According to the reports, China has installed advanced radar systems (LPAR, Large Phased Array Radar) in Yunnan province, near the Myanmar border. Now, the Xi Jinping government can monitor the entire region. Apart from tracking military activities, China can also increase its economic and political influence in Myanmar, leading to instability in the region.
China’s economic influence in Myanmar is already significant. The trade between the two countries exceeds $2 billion, whereas trade between India and Myanmar stands at USD 1 billion. It is actively engaged with Myanmar’s military junta and also supplies weapons to armed groups like the Arakan Army.
In other words, China is playing on both sides. This increases instability in the entire region, with Manipur being the most affected. It also weakens initiatives like the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, which heavily depends on peace and stability in Manipur.
Plan to Encircle India
China’s strategy follows the String of Pearls doctrine. Under this plan, China is trying to encircle India by building a network of allied countries and strategic bases. These activities provide China with alternative routes to access the Indian Ocean while bypassing the Malacca Strait. An increase in China’s influence over Myanmar means a decline in India’s impact. This could render India’s Act East policy ineffective.
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