India-Myanmar Relations

What is the historical background of the India-Myanmar relations?

India and Myanmar have a long history of cultural, religious, and trade links that date back to ancient times. 

• As the land of Lord Buddha, India is a country of pilgrimage for the people of Myanmar.
• British era: Both India and Myanmar were part of British India during colonial rule until 1935.
• After independence, India and Myanmar established diplomatic relations and maintained close ties. India and Myanmar signed a Treaty of Friendship in 1951. 
• Visit of the Prime Minister in 1987 laid the foundations for a stronger relationship between India and Myanmar. 
• In 2002, the Indian Consulate in Mandalay was reopened, and the Consulate of Myanmar was set up in Kolkata.
• In 2014, Myanmar became part of India’s “Neighborhood First” policy and its “Act East” policy. 

 

What is the importance of Myanmar for India?

Here are some key reasons why Myanmar is important for India:

• Strategic location: India and Myanmar share a long 1,643 km geographical land border and maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal. Also, Myanmar is India’s gateway to South-East Asia.
• Countering China: As part of India’s SAGAR Vision, India developed the Sittwe port in Myanmar’s Rakhine state to counter the Chinese-fronted Kyaukpyu port.
• Internal security: Myanmar shares a border with some of India's northeastern states, which are affected by insurgent activities. India considers Myanmar an important partner in its efforts to maintain peace and security in the region.
• Economic cooperation: India and Myanmar have a long-standing economic relationship, and India is one of Myanmar's largest trading partners. India has invested in various sectors in Myanmar, including energy, infrastructure, and agriculture.
• Cultural ties: India and Myanmar have historical and cultural ties dating back to ancient times. Buddhism, which originated in India, is a major religion in Myanmar, and the two countries share many cultural similarities.

 

What are the areas of cooperation between India and Myanmar?

India and Myanmar have several areas of cooperation, including

• Trade and economy
  • Bilateral trade has grown from $12.4 million in 1980-81 to $2.18 billion in 2016-17.
  • Myanmar is also the beneficiary of a duty-free tariff preference scheme for least-developed countries (LDCs).
  • Some Indian companies such as Essar, GAIL, and ONGC Videsh Ltd. have invested in Myanmar’s energy sector.
• Connectivity
  • In 2001, India and Myanmar inaugurated the 250-kilometer Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemyo highway, popularly called the Indo-Myanmar Friendship Road.
  • India is building the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport to link Kolkata to Sittwe in Myanmar and then from Myanmar’s Kaladan river to India’s north-east.
  • India, Myanmar, and Thailand are building the Asian Trilateral Highway, which will connect India to ASEAN.
• Development assistance
  • India has already extended $2 billion in soft loans. It has offered to help Myanmar with developmental assistance in the areas it wants rather than be prescriptive.
  • India is also providing assistance in setting up institutions for higher learning and research, namely—the Myanmar Institute of Information Technology, etc.
• Defence cooperation
  • India-Myanmar Bilateral Army Exercise(IMBAX) is aimed at building and promoting closer relations with armies.
  • Myanmar is a key partner in the fight to end insurgency in India's northeast.
• Multilateral partnership
  • Myanmar is also a key component of India’s strategy to bridge South and South-East Asia through BIMSTEC.
  • Myanmar's membership of ASEAN, BIMSTEC, and Mekong Ganga Cooperation has introduced a regional/sub-regional dimension to bilateral relations and imparted added significance in the context of our "Act East" policy.
• Humanitarian aid
  • Following the cataclysmic cyclone ‘Nargis’, which hit Myanmar in May 2008, India responded immediately with relief materials and offers of assistance. 
  • India provided assistance of US $1 million after a severe earthquake in the Shan State of Myanmar in March 2011.

 

What are the issues and challenges in India-Myanmar relations?

There are various challenges persisting in India-Myanmar relations. Some of them include

• Coup by Military Junta: A recent coup by the military junta in Myanmar made it difficult for India to balance its strategic and economic interests with its commitment to democratic values and human rights. 
• Weak trade relations: With a total bilateral trade of $2 billion, India’s economic engagement with Myanmar lags behind China. India’s withdrawal from Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership can further increase this trade gap. 
• Rohingya issue: The migration of Rohingyas in India is causing issues of internal security and exploitation of national resources of India.
• Northeast insurgency: Myanmar-China border is the hotbed of local armed separatist groups operating in Myanmar soil and Indian groups, ranging from ULFA in Assam to the NSCN (IM) in Nagaland.
• Internal security: It is a major concern for India. The indo-Myanmar border is porous and lightly policed, which is exploited by terrorist outfits and insurgent groups from the North Eastern part of India eg. supply of trained cadres, and arms trafficking.
• Free movement regime: The Free Movement Regime is being exploited by militants and cross-border criminals for the illegal transportation of weapons, contraband goods, and counterfeit Indian currency.
• Trust deficit: It has widened in India-Myanmar because of delays in the implementation of various projects.
• China has asserted itself through its soft power as well as through its trade and economic relations with Myanmar by taking up large infrastructure projects. Also, Myanmar is part of the Belt and Road Initiative initiated by China.

 

Why is a stable Myanmar important for India?

Stable Myanmar is important for India because of the following reasons: 

• Geopolitical interests: Myanmar's strategic location makes it a crucial component of India as it sits at the crossroads of India's "Neighbourhood First" and "Act East Policy" initiatives.
• National security: The border between Myanmar and China has become a focal point for local armed separatist groups operating within Myanmar's territory, as well as Indian groups such as the ULFA in Assam and the NSCN (IM) in Nagaland.
• Countering China: A weakened Myanmar falling into the clutches of China as a satellite state will pressurize India to do Beijing’s bidding in regional affairs.
• Strategic location: It serves as a buffer between India and China. Myanmar has coastal access to the Bay of Bengal. It connects Bangladesh, China, and the Northeastern states of India. It is also close to India’s Nicobar archipelago.

 

What measures could help foster India-Myanmar relations?

• Handling the Rohingya issue with care: India, which has a Hindu majority, will need to perform a balancing act between Muslim-majority Bangladesh and Buddhist-majority Myanmar as far as the Rohingya issue is concerned.
• Cultural diplomacy: India’s Buddhist diplomacy would bolster its tourist industry and could build up India’s diplomatic reservoir of goodwill and trust with Buddhist-majority countries such as Myanmar.
• Security cooperation: For economic relations to improve, India and Myanmar must boost their security cooperation at the border.
• Better border management: Both countries are affected due to the misuse of open borders by internal and external forces, and the responsibility of border management and regulation depends on both.
• Bolstering the relation through Act East: Myanmar is India’s gateway to Southeast Asia and could be the required impetus to realize India’s Act East Policy.

Myanmar as an emerging market: Myanmar itself is an emerging consumer market of 60 million people who have demands for products ranging from personal care to beverages to smartphones. India should leverage these export opportunities.