India-Myanmar Relations
India shares profound historical and cultural ties with Myanmar. During the colonial period, both countries were under British India. After independence, the two countries cultivated a close relationship that culminated in the signing of the 1951 Treaty of Friendship.
Jawahar Lal Nehru (India’s first Prime Minister) and Myanmar’s premier U Nu shared common views on many issues and pioneered the non-alignment movement. In 1967 and 1986, the two countries signed the Land Boundary Agreement and the Maritime Boundary Agreement, respectively.
Between 1988 and 1990, India’s stance against Myanmar’s Military suppression deteriorated the relationship, but the Look East Policy from 1991 improved the ties. Myanmar’s foreign policy shift in the late 1990s aimed to reduce dependency on China by joining regional groupings such as ASEAN, BIMTECT and Mekong Ganga Cooperation and purchasing military assets such as MIG 29 fighters from Russia.
Importance of Myanmar for India
Both are developing countries boasting strong economic complementarity and great potential for cooperation.
- Myanmar is seen as a pivotal country in order to enhance Indian ties with southeast ASEAN countries under the ‘Act East Policy’. Both converge on boosting connectivity and infrastructure through initiatives such as the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport project.
- The India and Myanmar border share delicate national sentiments and cultural relations such as Groups like the Chins of Myanmar and the Mizos of Mizoram share strong ethnic ties. Villages such as Longwa are situated in both the Indian and Myanmar territories.
- Several tribes of India are extended geographically across the border. These tribes can act as the bridge between the two nations in the future. This is very similar to the “Roti-Beti” relationship with the bordering populations of Nepal.
- However, since Independence, such cross-border linkage has often acted as a security threat. For example, several separatist organisations have utilised this freedom to push terrorist activities in India.
Economic cooperation:
- Myanmar and India share an ever-expanding economic and trade partnership. India is the 4th largest trading partner and the 2nd largest export market for Myanmar exports. The estimated trade between the two countries now stands at over 1.76 billion dollars, mainly due to a surge in exports from Myanmar.
- Investment in infrastructure: India is the eleventh largest investor in Myanmar, with a total investment of 1.736 billion dollars in March 2023 and investments in projects such as the Kaladan Multimodal Transit transport project and India Myanmar Thailand trilateral highway.
- Both countries formed a Free Movement Regime, allowing residents to go up to 16 km on the other side of the border and stay for 14 days without a Visa.
- Cooperation in digital payment gateways: for the convenience of bilateral trade, both countries have decided to launch India’s Rupay card in Myanmar.
| Kaladan Multimodal Transit and IMT trilateral Highway Project | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kaladan Multimodal Projects: The project involves sea, river, and road transportation that connects Kolkata to the North-Eastern states through Myanmar.
IMT Trilateral Highway: India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway (IMT Highway), a 1,360 km (850 mi) long route, is a 4-lane highway under construction under India’s Look East policy that will connect Moreh, India with Mae Sot, Thailand via Myanmar.
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Cultural ties
Both shared historical and cultural ties. The land of Buddha, India, is a country of pilgrimage for the people of Myanmar. Buddhism played a major role in shaping the cultural landscape of both countries.
- India is actively helping Myanmar in the restoration of Myanmar’s Ananda temple in Bagan.
- People to People links: Both the countries signed Land Border Crossing Agreement, 2018 to facilitate travel on both sides
- Inner Line Permit: Several tribes in North-Eastern India have cross-border ties. These relations are maintained through cross-border movements using an Inner line permit. It is a document permit that allows citizens living in certain zones to temporarily cross borders. This concept was introduced in British times so that these areas were safeguarded against outside influence. The Indian Government continued with it to preserve distinct Tribal culture.
Cooperation in security:
India provided military training and conducted joint military exercises with the Myanmar army, similar to India.
- Military Exercise: Myanmar bilateral military exercises such as IMBEX 2018-2019, through which India trained the Myanmar Army to participate in UN peacekeeping operations.
- Cooperation on Terrorism: Both countries shared a mutual interest in countering cross-border terrorism and insurgency issues; India has also provided military assistance and training to Myanmar to address these security challenges, etc.
- Sittwe Port is also considered a counter to Coco Island under its informal strings of pearls policy.
Regional ties:
- Both are developing countries. Thus, both countries support multilateralism in international forums. They support the multipolar world order. Both also collabourate through BIMSTEC and ASEAN to promote security and regional stability.
- Both countries cooperate and address regional challenges, promoting economic and security cooperation.
- India assisted in setting up higher studies and research institutions, such as the Myanmar Institute of Information Technology and the Advanced Center for Agricultural Research and Education.
- Assistance in healthcare: India assisted in public health by helping with the upgradation of Yangon Children’s Hospital and Sittwe General Hospital, etc. During the COVID-19 pandemic, India provided medicines during its worldwide shortage to Myanmar, and there was assurance regarding the joint development of the vaccine between the two states.
- Institutional cooperation between the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Confederation of Indian Industry. Numerous companies have established their offices in Myanmar since the India-Myanmar Chamber of Commerce was formed in 2017.
Areas of Divergence:
- Human Rights Violation: The treatment of Myanmar Rohingyas has been a great concern for international concern of human rights violations, including in India. India’s stance on human rights violations also strained the relationship between the two countries.
- Increasing dominance of China: Myanmar’s growing military and economic ties with China and increasing dominance led to the deterioration of relations.
- Border Disputes: continuous infiltration from large porous and unfenced border areas led to tension in border regions.
- Drugs and Human Trafficking: Myanmar is the world’s largest opium-producing country, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and it also forms part of the Golden Triangle, generating crime groups supplying the neighbouring countries, including India, posing significant security and health challenges.
Area of Competition:
Myanmar has vast natural gas reserves, and India and Myanmar have competing interests in reaching out to these resources; demand to access these resources may further intensify with the growing competition to exploit these resources.Bottom of FormTop of Form
Way forward:
- Mutual agreement for solving border issues: need to organize regular open dialogue for building trust and solving illegal migration and drug trafficking.
- More “Twin track approach“, i.e., carrying on diplomatic engagement with Myanmar’s military and, at the same time, pushing for the country’s return to democracy to ensure security and peace in the region and to counter China’s growing influence in South Asia.
- Use of soft power diplomacy: India could work on soft power diplomacy, for instance, by establishing more Buddhist circuits and mediating the settlement of the Rohingya crisis.
- The first neighbourhood policy is to strengthen bilateral relations between India and neighbouring countries like Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, etc. so that China will not be able to utilize any dissatisfaction against India. Utilize the BIMSTEC to strengthen regional cooperation in South Asia.
Thus, a multifaceted approach will be needed to protect the nation’s strategic autonomy, sovereignty and integrity.
