Russia and Belarus are already in the deep. China and India has done it long ago. So had some countries of South East Asia. ASEAN is now doing it using a different approach. Trump and USA has done it too. Hey, we are talking about engaging the Myanmar government. So who is left to engage the legitimate government now?
Aussies
Australia has been supportive of Myanmar since its opening up in 2011. They had participated in offshore oil and gas tenders and many other businesses dealing with the government. With much underground resources in Myanmar, it would be a lose-lose situation if Aussies remain aloof to engagement. They wanted the market economy, competitive pricing and democracy. How to have the market economy, if all the resources can only be sold to one buyer i.e., China. So that itself is a dilemma. How can Myanmar be helped to move more towards a more market and competitive economy, if Australia refused to participate in the economy, especially on natural resources?
Australia has been supportive of Myanmar since its opening up in 2011. They had participated in offshore oil and gas tenders and many other businesses dealing with the government. With much underground resources in Myanmar, it would be a lose-lose situation if Aussies remain aloof to engagement. They wanted the market economy, competitive pricing and democracy. How to have the market economy, if all the resources can only be sold to one buyer i.e., China. So that itself is a dilemma. How can Myanmar be helped to move more towards a more market and competitive economy, if Australia refused to participate in the economy, especially on natural resources?
Gangnam
Korea is one of the few countries that Myanmar people love, admire and look forward to working there. Korea and Japan is consistently ranked as countries with best labor
conditions based on survey of Myanmar workers. Korea took step higher with the legislation that foreign workers in Korea cannot be paid lower that Koreans with equal qualifications and experience, hence providing the most take-home pay for foreign workers. Korea government also wants to engage, but they have to rely on the US in case of war with its unpredictable northern neighbour. Their reliance becomes even more inevitable, as they rightly worry as North Korea sent fighters to Ukraine to fight together with Russia. And Myanmar being the long time ally of Russia is not making the initiating of engagement any easier.
Korea is one of the few countries that Myanmar people love, admire and look forward to working there. Korea and Japan is consistently ranked as countries with best labor
conditions based on survey of Myanmar workers. Korea took step higher with the legislation that foreign workers in Korea cannot be paid lower that Koreans with equal qualifications and experience, hence providing the most take-home pay for foreign workers. Korea government also wants to engage, but they have to rely on the US in case of war with its unpredictable northern neighbour. Their reliance becomes even more inevitable, as they rightly worry as North Korea sent fighters to Ukraine to fight together with Russia. And Myanmar being the long time ally of Russia is not making the initiating of engagement any easier.
Rising Sun
Japan like Korea is continuing all engagement at humanitarian and general public level, from continuing recruitment of Myanmar workers to donating for the quake victims through various associations. And it has to take cues from USA too. With many Japanese entities running away from Myanmar, the ‘first to leave and last to arrive’ nation is
exactly looking after its own interests, despite its affinity to Myanmar.
Japan like Korea is continuing all engagement at humanitarian and general public level, from continuing recruitment of Myanmar workers to donating for the quake victims through various associations. And it has to take cues from USA too. With many Japanese entities running away from Myanmar, the ‘first to leave and last to arrive’ nation is
exactly looking after its own interests, despite its affinity to Myanmar.
The old rich
The diplomats stationed locally do want to engage more, in private capacity with the top decision makers of nation. Yet the Union is not keen. So the only way out seems to be to entice the European Union leaders far away with some tenable deeds and get the green light from them to take the engagement with myanmar to the next level. Why non-engagement is bad for Myanmar and the World Let’s give the example using Wa and the rare earth.
The diplomats stationed locally do want to engage more, in private capacity with the top decision makers of nation. Yet the Union is not keen. So the only way out seems to be to entice the European Union leaders far away with some tenable deeds and get the green light from them to take the engagement with myanmar to the next level. Why non-engagement is bad for Myanmar and the World Let’s give the example using Wa and the rare earth.
Wa independent state is the largest self administrative region in the Eastern Shan region. Even Myanmar military cannot go into their region without prior approval by them. According CIA Hanbook 2019, Wa is already the third largest exporter to rare earth in the world and 100% of their rare earth is exported to China. Kachin and Shan state armies are also contributing China stockpile of rare earth through their respective exports. The end result is that now China is controlling 90+% of global rare earth inventory.
USA, EU and Australia could have participated to absorb the supply thereby retaining some form of control over the rare earth global supply. Without engaging Myanmar, they are deprived of that opportunity. And Myanmar lose out too as it loses competitive pricing due to having only one monopolistic buyer. Simple argument perhaps, but it’s factual and the whole truth.
