China-Myanmar relations: An old friendship renewed by the Belt & Road
Since 2013, China has been actively reviving these historic silk roads and physical linkages that once knitted peoples and civilizations in the vast Afro-Eurasia supercontinent together through their modern-day incarnations, collectively labeled as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Myanmar plays a very critical role within the scope of the BRI. The planned Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor carving out a path of connective infrastructure from Kunming to Kolkata crosses Myanmar's Mandalay; the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) provides for greater intra-Myanmar transport connectivity while facilitating economic integration between Myanmar and China's inland province of Yunnan; and the Kyaukphyu seaport on the Bay of Bengal is an integral part of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, the maritime component of the BRI, for expanding and upgrading global shipping capacity.
Myanmar has proved a firm supporter of the BRI corridors and projects. State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi attended both BRI summits in 2017 and 2019. And during President Xi's latest visit to Myanmar, the two countries reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to pushing forward win-win Belt and Road cooperation for mutual benefits and common prosperity despite some short-term project setbacks and policy recalibrations.
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