The Political Economy of Myanmar's Development toward the China's Belt and Road Initiative in Myanmar: An Analysis of State-Market-Society Perspective

Abstract

After the political transition of Myanmar in 2011 Myanmar’s China policy has led the changes from the condition of state-to-state relations into the multi-layered relations and Myanmar’s Government has tried to reshape the larger public spaces and expand the foreign connection Myanmar’s foreign policy has also challenged the Beijing’s economic and political interests in Myanmar in terms of the China’s mega investment projects such as the case of Myanmar’s Government one-sided suspension for Myit Sone Dam projects in Kachin State Public Protesting against the China’s Kyauk Phyu Deep Sea Port Public’s concern of Deb Trap on the New Yangon Development Project and security concerns on the three Special Economic Zones (SEZs) projects along the China-Myanmar Border In this sense it could be argumentative to seek the controversial issues of the Myanmar’s Development and China-Myanmar Bilateral Relations toward the Belt and Road Initiative Moreover Myanmar has agreed the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) which is strategically important for China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Among the various China’s BRI projects in Myanmar every case has the different characteristic pattern and situation in terms of the different fundamental interaction on relations among the state market and society Therefore this thesis seeks the three unique cases of BRI projects in Myanmar from the political economic perspective by using the state-market-society framework such as the Kyauk Phyu Deep Sea Port Project (currently running) Myit Sone Done Projects (currently suspending) and the New Yangon Development Project (still negotiating) At last this research investigates the Myanmar’s Development pattern toward the China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) by providing the evidences from the three sectors State Market and Society and their interactions And then this research mainly argues that the changing relations among the State-Market-Society in Myanmar will play the crucial role for China’s long-term political and economic interests in Myanmar

Date of Award	2020
Original language	English
Supervisor	Jenn-Jaw Soong (Supervisor)