China has always enjoyed the rich bountiful land and minerals of Burma, from Jade, Gold, to Silver and more. Always a trade relation between China and Burma.
Hell, Even the British used to do many expeditions to ‘travel’ and explore Burma for all sorts of adventures and reasons.
There’s a whole bunch of politics since World War 2 and it dates further back including Monarchies and other jazz, but I’ll skip all of that.
Basically, there’s two camps.
The Military Regime and The People.
China has always backed specific individuals in Burma, and those individuals typically get power and money allowing them to be affluent resulting in them joining the large and strong party, the military regime. Power attracts Power, it’s basically a natural law at this point.
The US has played many roles, but in recent developments they’ve been playing more of a hand to support the People and the spread of Democracy and it’s own developments. You know, for the sake of ‘Democracy’.
From the US Perspective, the Military Regime is a Junta and initiates Coups and is Tyrannical and anti-Democratic.
From the Chinese Perspective, the People are comprised of Rebels and Insurgents that commit acts of terrorism to undermine the Government Regime.
So, yea, pretty sticky situation.
Fast Forward to 2010
Aung San Suu Kyi (a daughter of a famous Revolutionary that played a vital role in Burmese independence from the British crown) was held as political Prisoner held captive by the Military Regime until negotiations allowed for her release in 2015.
After her release, she made tours and spoke on behalf of the people throughout the US and the World, Earned a Nobel Peace Prize, and then in 2015, she returned to Burma and led her Party in Burma (the National League for Democracy NLD), to win an election in a Landslide Victory.
The US has been openly supporting the People in Burma in 2017, after Aung San Suu Kyi’s rise to power.
A Key point is that in 2019 Canada conducted a Survey of Burma and found vast Lithium Reserves that are worth mining, or undermining if you like puns.
Then the another election came up in 2021, Aung San Suu Kyi won the election and the Military initiated a Coup shortly there after because they were unhappy with the results.
From the Military’s side, they claimed the the NLD was cheating, and they believe this because the Military tried rigging the election. Which, to openly admit to cheating, and losing, either means they didn’t cheat hard enough and lost fairly, or they cheated so hard that the other part had to have cheated. In their perspective, they also believe that the 2015 landslide victory was also a result of cheating, so they’re pretty upset.
It also takes a lot of balls to say “we cheated, and you won, so you must be cheating”
With China’s Backing, the Military initiated that Coup, and now they are receiving support from Iran and Russia, Comrades of China. The military is receiving aide and weaponry from it’s allies. It’s initiated a State of Emergency and suspended elections until further notice.
The US, wants to ‘fight for democracy’ and definitely not the Lithium mines that were recently discovered. So they support the people and like a Latin American Influence, have armed the people with information and weaponry and financial support.
Idk to what degree, talk to some CIA agents over there or something. I’m just telling you what little I know.
The US along with the EU has sanctioned Burma and a slew of other political jazz since the Coup.
India, has some role. It’s unclear how much they care, they do support the Military Regime to some degree, while also being economically tied to China through the BRICs initiative and the Belt and Road initiative. But also, India and Chinese Relations are always in conflict. So India is sorta doing whatever without too much direct involvement, because let’s be honest, every nation here has domestic problems and they gotta address those too.
It’s clear
That at a minimum;
That the US wants the Lithium, you can look at the history of US involvement in Latin America and Africa to see that the US really really wants Lithium, for electronics (batteries) and drugs (Neo-MK Ultra).
China wants the Lithium, but they more so want to control the raw goods to have a better economic stance as they refine it in their factories and ship it world wide, making it a bigger economic Power House on the Global Theater. They want to be the middle man and hold a larger share in the world’s lithium reserves.
Both sides also don’t want the other side to get their hands on the Lithium, among other precious metals.
This is purely an economic take. There’s more history and ancient artifacts and culture that is being ignored for the sake of simplicity.
Ideally,
The US and China would get together and create negotiations that treated Burma better than just a ‘mining colony’ and offer it’s voices of the oppressed to be heard with unilateral trade deals that benefit the flourishing of Burma and favorable trade of it’s resources rather than pure exploitation.
But if Mommy and Daddy in this divorce don’t get together and come to terms, we’re going to be seeing more issues and conflicts. All it takes is one person to throw a chair in a crowd of high tensioned people to result in a brawl, meaning, if there is a war or conflict big enough, there will be turmoil and open violence here (in Burma).
And the violence is already pretty open and brutal.
In Closing
As a complete Side note, George Orwell’s 1984 was based on what he saw in Burma during his time in Burma and his view of the Military Regime in like the early 1900s. Just a fun fact, to know that the Dystopian sci fi is based on a true story.
Additionally, Calling Burma ‘Burma’ or ‘Myanmar’ is a political difference. It’s like calling Turkey ‘Turkey’ or ‘Constantinople’. There’s a lot of world powers separated by the East and the West that skew their story in favor of it being the grand narrative, and you can see it’s conflicts evident everywhere. To Include the Tucker Carlson interview of Putin where he describes the Rich history and perspective of Russia for 3 hours.
I’ve also met Aung San Suu Kyi, cool person, respectable, and a valued choice pick for political power as she is symbolic. It is to note that there is still a Royal Burmese Bloodline in Burma, so don’t throw monarchy off the table. It’s just been unstable since, British Rule, and it’s not necessarily better with Burmese and Thai relations prior to British Rule.
I’m not telling you who is right, I’m just stating a snapshot of shit going on. Obviously this is a gross simplification, but it’s arguably better than misinformation or nothing. My personal pick is for negotiations and world peace, but it’s complicated with economic and informational warfare running rampant.
*Not Valid Financial, Legal, Life, or Any Advice