Mizzima News

New Delhi (Mizzima) - Chinese and Burmese senior military officials on Saturday agreed to boost bilateral cooperation in various fields including military ties, a move observers said is meant to ensure the Burmese junta international support.

Burma's third highest ranking military official, General Thura Shwe Mann, and his counterpart, Chen Bingde, Chief of the General Staff of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), on Saturday agreed to enhance military relations.

"The two countries should enhance military and state-to-state exchanges to promote regional peace, stability and prosperity," reports quoted Chen as saying.

The agreement also includes the signing of a series of pacts on cooperation in the areas of economics, trade, culture, education, health, technology and tourism.

However, Burmese military observers believe the two senior military officials also agreed on joint military exercises, in addition an agreement for Burma to purchase new military hardware as well as spare parts for the maintenance of earlier purchases.

"It is very possible that they discussed and agreed on an arms deal, joint military exercises and the buying of some peripheral equipment for military hardware such as helicopters, jet fighters and warships that Burma earlier bought from China," Aung Kyaw Zaw, a Sino-Burmese border based military analyst said.

Aung Kyaw Zaw added that both countries might have included the issue of ethnic ceasefire groups, referring to groups including the United Wa State Army (UWSA), Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and Kokang rebels, who operate along the Sino-Burmese border.

Burma, according to Aung Thu Nyein, another Burma analyst based in Thailand, is currently faced with a shortage of spare parts for maintaining Chinese made jet fighters, warships and artillery earlier bought.

"Apparently, that is the reason Burma is seeking closer ties with China," Aung Thu Nyein said.

However, another Burmese analyst believes that the close Sino-Burmese relationship is driven by China's economic interest in Burma and Burma's interest in obtaining political support.

"It is also a part of Burma's policy toward China, as China defends the Burmese regime in the international arena," said Nyo Ohn Myint, in-charge of Foreign Affairs for the National League for Democracy-Liberated Area.

China and Russia, two veto wielding countries at the United Nations Security Council, in January 2007, rejected a draft resolution on Burma introduced by the United States and supported by the United Kingdom and France.

Following the objection of the resolution on Burma by China and Russia, the Burmese junta announced its decision to sell its much sought after offshore gas in the Bay of Bengal to China. Rights to the gas from the Shwe fields had been contested by India, South Korea and Thailand.

Similarly, in October, Burma agreed to allow China to build oil and gas pipelines that will link China's Yunnan province with Burma's western seaport of Sittwe in Arakan state. The proposed pipeline will be a major route through with China will import oil and gas from the Middle East and Africa.

Critics further believe that the Burmese regime plans to accept new military hardware from China in exchange for the gas.

"The Burmese regime plans to accept military hardware from China in exchange for supplying gas," Aung Thu Nyein speculated.

China, a close ally of Burma, has continued to supply military hardware and equipment to Burma even while the United States and European Union maintain an arms embargo against Burma's military's rulers in response to their appalling human rights record and failure to implement political reform.