The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, wrote on his blog on Sunday 11 April that the “geopolitical competition in Myanmar makes it difficult to find common ground, to halt the violence and ensure a return to democracy”.
Although at least 550 peaceful protesters, including 46 children, have been killed and at least 2,800 people have been arrested since the 1 February coup, “geopolitics divides the international community and hampers a coordinated response”, the High Representative lamented. According to him, this “geopolitical competition in Myanmar will make it very difficult to find common ground, as we have witnessed again and again at the UN Security Council. But we have a duty to try”.
Myanmar is of strategic interest to India and China, with whom it shares borders, and its two main arms suppliers are China and Russia. “Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Russia and China are blocking the attempts of the UN Security Council, for example to impose an arms embargo”, Mr Borrell decried. He said Beijing was keen to protect its strategic interests in the country and had described the coup as a ‘major government reshuffle’, while Moscow insisted that it was a ‘purely domestic matter’.
Despite the difficulties, the EU is “pursuing a robust diplomatic initiative, reaching out to all key stakeholders (ASEAN, China, Japan, India), in close coordination with our like-minded partners, notably the US and UK”. Calling for a national solution, supported by the region and the wider international community, Mr Borrell said that all ASEAN forces advocating this should be supported. In his words, “we need to create a shared diplomatic platform to kick-start a process of dialogue aimed at restoring democracy in Myanmar, in accordance with the clear will of its brave people”, he said. The High Representative also explained that the EU could strengthen the diplomatic track by offering to increase its economic ties, if Myanmar returned to democracy.
However, Mr Borrell is clear about the EU’s limited economic leverage on Myanmar. “While our action is relentless, our expectations need to be realistic”, he warned, recalling, by way of example, that in 2019, EU foreign direct investments had accounted for $700 million in the country, compared to $19 billion for China. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)