India - Myanmar Relations

Context

As part of India's contribution to help its friendly neighbours, India has handed over 3,000 vials of Remdesivir to Myanmar in fight against COVID 19.

Background

The presented 3,000 vials of Remdesivir to Myanmar, will help in fighting COVID pandemic. Along with this, the Indian Army chief and the Foreign Secretary discussed important bilateral issues with representative of Myanmar. The visit by Gen. Naravane and Shringla to Myanmar assumes significance as it comes in the midst of the Indian Army’s bitter border standoff with the Chinese military in eastern Ladakh as well restrictions on foreign visits due to the corona virus pandemic.

Reviewing Ties

India and Myanmar carried out a comprehensive review of their multi-faceted relationship that is underpinned by deepening cooperation in areas of trade and investment, power, energy and healthcare. The two sides also held extensive discussions on ways to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Myanmar is one of India’s strategic neighbours and shares a 1,640-km-long border with a number of northeastern states including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur. The discussion was held on cooperation in cultural spheres included the ongoing restoration work on pagodas in Bagan which were damaged by earthquake.

Both sides also held extensive discussions on the challenges posed by COVID-19 and ways to mitigate its impact, including through vaccine development, supply of medicines, equipment and technology and capacity building. Both Nations reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen its time tested partnership for the mutual benefit of the two countries. Myanmar representative also expressed appreciation for the COVID-19 related development assistance extended by India to Myanmar.

Rakhine and Rohingya

India as a close friend, partner and neighbour of both Bangladesh and Myanmar has a deep and abiding interest to see an early stabilisation of the situation in the Rakhine State. India supports safe, sustainable and speedy repatriation of displaced persons from Bangladesh to Rakhine State based on the understanding between the two countries.

The statement came at the end of the discussions. The Rohingya issue has become a difficult subject to resolve as Myanmar has sent additional forces to the Rakhine State that Dhaka has strongly objected to in the recent weeks.

India and Myanmar signed the Project Agreement for the upgradation of the Agricultural Mechanisation Sub-Station under the MoU on the Rakhine State Development Programme, that was signed in Dec 2017.

Deep Rooted Relations

India-Myanmar relations are rooted in shared historical, ethnic, cultural and religious ties. As the land of Lord Buddha, India is a country of pilgrimage for the people of Myanmar. India and Myanmar relations have stood the test of time.

The geographical proximity of the two countries has helped develop and sustain cordial relations and facilitated people-topeople contact. India and Myanmar share a long land border of over 1600 km and a maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal. A large population of Indian origin (according to some estimates about 2.5 million) lives in Myanmar. India and Myanmar signed a Treaty of Friendship in 1951.

India-Myanmar relations are as much about India’s immediate national security concerns as they are about geoeconomics and geopolitics. Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw, has a track record of cracking down on anti-India armed groups operating out of its soil to advance their insurgency in India’s northeast or even allowing India to do so itself.

In June 2015, an Indian special forces operation targeted Naga rebel camps across the India-Myanmar border, an avowed operation widely seen as the precursor to the surgical strikes in Pakistan-administered Kashmir the following year. As the latest round of talks between the Indian government and Naga insurgents continue, New Delhi will almost certainly look to the Myanmar army for continued support to flush out or eliminate elements that may not be in favor of a settlement, should it indeed materialize.

Major Indian Projects in Myanmar

The Government of India is actively involved in over a dozen projects in Myanmar, both in infrastructural and non-infrastructural areas. These include upgradation and resurfacing of the 160 km long Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemyo road, construction and upgradation of the Rhi-Tiddim Road in Myanmar, the Kaladan Multimodal Transport Project etc.

An ADSL project for high speed data link in 32 Myanmar cities has been completed by TCIL. M/s RITES is involved in development of the rail transportation system and in supply of railway coaches, locos and parts. India has signed an agreement for development of the Tamanthi and Shwezaye Hydro-Electric Power project in Chindwin River valley and NHPC submitted the updated DPR on Tamanthi and is working on the DPR on the Shwezaye project.

Connectivity Projects

Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP) or the Kaladan Road Project is one of the critical projects undertaken by India in Myanmar. The framework agreement for the project was signed in 2008. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs are nodal agencies for the implementation of the project. The KMTTP is funded by India, which provides sea-connectivity through eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with Sittwe seaport in the Rakhine State of Myanmar.

Considering India’s Act East policy in the neighbourhood, the project includes developmental activities of Sittwe port in Rakhine State, further dredging of the Kaladan River along with a road link from Kalewa in Myanmar to Aizawl in Mizoram, and finally improving the Aizawal-Guwahati National Highway in India. The objective of the project is to harness the potential of regional trade with neighbouring countries, i.e. Myanmar and Bangladesh.

India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway is a significant and under-construction project among three countries which plays a significant role in India’s “Look East” policy. The Government of India, Myanmar and Thailand proposed the project for transport connectivity and agreed upon funding the 1,360 km long cross-border highway network, which will link Moreh (India) -Bagan (Myanmar) -Mae Sot (Thailand).

The trans-border bus service from Imphal (India) to Mandalay (Myanmar) was signed to deepen the roots of bilateral relations, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the trans-border bus services got delayed.

India and Myanmar constituted a Joint Railway Working Group in 2013 to undertake a feasibility study for laying of broad gauge New Delhi-Hanoi Railway Link (DHRL) between Moreh and Kalay, as Myanmar has only meter gauge. The major obstacle in the operation of the project is 238 km of missing links in Myanmar, which requires huge investments. Apart from the construction of missing links, there is a need to upgrade and harmonise the railway tracks in the region.

Regional and Sub-regional Groups

ASEAN: Myanmar became a member of ASEAN in July 1997. As the only ASEAN country which shares a land border with India, Myanmar is a bridge between India and ASEAN. A few proposals for cooperation have been implemented and some are under
discussions with Myanmar within the framework of ASEAN’s programme.

BIMSTEC: Myanmar became a member of BIMSTEC in December 1997. Myanmar is a signatory to the BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement. Myanmar is the lead country for the energy sector. Myanmar trades mostly with Thailand and India in the BIMSTEC region. Myanmar’s major exports to India are agricultural products like beans, pulses and maize and forest products such as teak and hardwoods. Its imports from India include chemical products, pharmaceuticals, electrical appliances and transport equipment.

Mekong Ganga Cooperation: Myanmar is a member of the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) since its inception in November 2000. MGC is an initiative by six countries including India and five ASEAN countries namely, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam for cooperation in the fields of tourism, education, culture, transport and communication. The chairmanship of MGC is assumed by member countries in alphabetical order.

SAARC: Myanmar was given the status of observer in SAARC in August 2008.

China Factor in Myanmar

The rise of China has raised concerns about its economic and strategic presence in the South-East Region. Since the 1980s, China slowly shifted its political agenda and started creating economic dependency by increasing trade & commerce and building connectivity corridors. Along with the economic expansion, China’s strategic interest got exposed as it has been exporting military equipment to Myanmar.

Conclusion

India, in the 1990s, moved to establish closer relations with Myanmar to expand India’s economic and strategic interests. From increasing trade to exploring new markets in the South-East region, India started connectivity projects with Myanmar.

To reiterate South-East Asian economic and geostrategic relevance, India unveiled the ‘Act East Policy’ in 2014. Myanmar is the natural ‘landbridge’, as mentioned earlier, and therefore acts as a vital link between India and South-East Asia. The completion of the Kaladan Project and IMT highway is crucial for the need for integrated transport planning, harmonisation of infrastructure, rules & procedures and application of ICT in transportation and cross-border management.

At present, India is Myanmar’s fifth-largest trading partner, sharing a land border of more than 1,600 km, it is imperative to explore the underlying trade potential both in terms of goods and services. In addition to increasing trade opportunities, the connectivity projects in all dimensions aim to enhance production potential in border areas, which would thereby increase supply-chain efficiency.

Also the soft power diplomacy plays a crucial role in counter balancing the China's influence in the region.

Connecting the Article

Question for Prelims

With reference to the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, consider the following statements:

1. It connects India with Thailand.
2. It includes rail and Highway route.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Question for Mains

Discuss the importance of South East Asian Countries for India in the light of current geo-political events.