China Rocks Myanmar’s Diplomatic Boat
NAYPYITAW, Myanmar-Myanmar had hoped that this weekend’s summit of Southeast Asian leaders, the first it has hosted, would be a celebration of the country’s progress since the end of military rule.
Instead, it is facing a major diplomatic test, presiding over the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting in its capital Naypyitaw as China and Vietnam face off over an oil rig in disputed waters of the South China Sea.
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Myanmar will likely forge a middle ground amid these conflicting interests, said Yun Sun, an expert on Myanmar-China relations at the Washington, D.C.-based Stimson Center. “Myanmar has demonstrated a certain determination not to let the South China Sea issue rock the boat this year,” said Ms. Yun Sun.
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