China pipeline plan a setback for Burmese democracy
I think it could be the end, rather than a setback. In the shadow of global economic woes the CCP have reached out, as is their pragmatic inclination, and further embraced their despotic, oppressive imitators neighbours and simultaneously dealt a massive blow to Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters.
This report outlines the plans for oil and gas pipelines that will, in all probability, keep Burma’s military junta in the brutal opulence to which they’ve become accustomed for the foreseeable future.
Japan’s Nikkei newspaper reported that the project would include a $1bn gas pipeline and a $1.5bn oil pipeline.
China National Petroleum Corporation, the parent of market giant Petrochina, would manage and own a majority share in the joint project with Myanmar Oil & Gas Enterprise of Burma, the Japanese paper said.
That basically means that the CCP are running the show, and they will certainly not countenance the freedom of the democratically elected Nobel Peace Prize winner. The chances of the Burmese people benefitting from their strategic importance, vast resources, and tourism potential look bleak.
Whatever name the Chinese government gives their regional and global deal making, they sure have the look and feel of expansionism and territorialism. Am I being alarmist? I suppose I am. But until the Chinese government can provide some evidence of moral responsibility in the way it does business, I think we should all be alarmed at the prospect of their growing power.