What China sees in Clinton's visit to Burma (Myanmar)
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says her visit to Burma (Myanmar) Wednesday is to gauge political reforms there. But China is concerned it could be part of a strategic plan to fence in Beijing.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton walks from her airplane upon her arrival in Naypyidaw, Burma (Myanmar).
Saul Loeb/Reuters
Beijing
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Burma (Myanmar) on Wednesday after President Obama said he saw “flickers of progress” toward democracy in the isolated and impoverished nation.
Many Chinese observers, however, see something else in the visit: another step in a strategic plan by Washington to fence Beijing in, as the United States increasingly turns its diplomatic attention to Asia.
US officials insist Ms. Clinton is in Burma to further political reforms by the new nominally civilian government. “It’s about … trying to seize an opportunity,” said State Department spokesman Mark Toner earlier this week. “This visit to Burma is not about our relationship with China.”
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The Chinese government says it welcomes this approach. “We believe that Myanmar and relevant Western countries should enhance contacts … on the basis of mutual respect,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Wednesday. “We hope these actions will be conducive to the stability and development of Myanmar.”
