Burma is also strategically important to China, because it is only through Burma that China has access to the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, and Chinese naval vessels made port calls in Burma for the first time last year.
For these reasons, China also does not want to overreact to the Myitsone Dam suspension and push Burma into the arms of the West.
It is a well known fact, however, that some Burmese leaders—including some in uniform—want to distance Burma from China. Therefore, some pundits argue that it is time for the West to change its Burma policy and be more accommodating to the leaders of the new government. But the US has thus far insisted that Burma make concrete reforms, including the release of political prisoners, a comprehensive dialogue with the opposition and ethnic leaders and cooperation with a CoI.
In any event, one thing is clear: Burma under President Thein Sein has a chance to develop a closer relationship with the West if speedy and substantive reforms are undertaken in the near future.
Thant Myint-U, author of "Where China Meets India: Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia" (a must-read book on Burma), concluded that progress in Burma would be a boon for the region, and a peaceful, prosperous and democratic Burma would be a game-changer for all Asia. Everyone would like to see Thant Myint-U’s happy ending scenario become a reality, and in order to move in that direction it is important for Burma to re-enter and integrate into the world community with dignity.
It is time for Burma to step out of China’s shadow and embrace the West and regional neighbors in order to gain new allies that help counter China’s influence. To make this happen, Burma’s president Thein Sein must make major political reforms in Burma, and perhaps the suspension of the Myitsone Dam project was his first step in that direction.
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