prothom hello ,
Which areas of Myanmar do you think will be most affected by the Burma Act and China-US strategic competition? After all, some ethnic groups are influenced by China and some are influenced by America.
ANM Muniruzzaman
Overall, the national interests of China and America are linked in Myanmar. Both the countries are keeping a close eye on the neighboring Rakhine region of Bangladesh. The reason is that a deep port has already been built in Rakhine and 80 percent of it is owned by China. This port is very important for China because it is not just a deep sea port, but two pipelines go from here to Kunming in China. One of these pipelines carries petroleum to Kunming and the other gas. The Strait of Malacca is an important route for China's energy security. If the Strait of Malacca gets blocked for any reason, it will be a threat to China. It will then be able to bypass it and bring energy from the deep sea port in Rakhine. That is why deep sea ports are not sensitive and important for China.
Secondly, the Bay of Bengal, i.e. the Indian Ocean, is extremely important for the Indo-Pacific strategy announced by the US and its allies. Rakhine is the entry point to this Indo-Pacific region. That is why China has given so much importance to the establishment of a deep sea port here.
Third, some special economic zones are being established in Rakhine, mostly owned by China and Russia.
Fourth, two of the six economic corridors being established as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative are river routes. One of them is known as the China-Myanmar corridor. Therefore, Rakhine has multifaceted importance for China. And meanwhile America would not want China to establish its influence here and would like to oppose it. Since this area is close to Bangladesh, whatever happens there will affect Bangladesh.
prothom hello ,
Now the biggest challenge before Bangladesh is to send back the Rohingyas who have taken refuge there. Many people are of the opinion that we should also establish contact with the rebel groups of Myanmar. What do you think our strategy should be?
ANM Muniruzzaman
First of all we have to strengthen our security measures. We have to increase our capacity to be able to continuously monitor the situation. We also need to have regular dialogue with other regional countries in this regard. This will include China, India and ASEAN. All the superpowers are trying to establish their influence here. We must analyze their motives and their actions.
The traditional diplomacy that we have been adopting till now will not work in such circumstances. We need to adopt innovative and creative diplomacy. Till now we are maintaining relations with the junta government. We now need to establish informal communications with the rebel groups who have extended their control to the border areas.
I do not see any initiative from our side to adopt any policy at the state level in such a complex situation. Only the Ministry of External Affairs should not be included in this. An inter-ministerial task force should be formed. Political decisions and recommendations are necessary. We see the possibility of Rohingya repatriation diminishing under the current circumstances. This is no longer an important issue for the junta government in Myanmar. But if we maintain dialogue with other groups on this issue, we can secure a win-win situation in the future.