Summary of Doctoral Thesis of History: Political and economic relations between India and Myanmar from 1991 to 2017

Objectives of research: The thesis is done to clarify the changes in India - Myanmar relations in the political and economic fields from 1991 to 2017. On that basis, the thesis analyzes the impact of this relationship for each country, region and draw features of the IndiaMyanmar relationship during this period.

MINISTRY OF TRAINING AND EDUCATION

VINH UNIVERSITY

¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

PHAN THI CHAU

POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS

BETWEEN INDIA AND MYANMAR FROM 1991 TO 2017

SUMMARY OF THE DOCTORAL THESIS OF HISTORY

NGHE AN, 2020

THE THESIS WAS COMPLETED AT VINH UNIVERSITY

The thesis is defended before the Ph.D Thesis Evaluation Council

at the University level in Vinh University

Time: .h dated / /

This thesis is available for the purpose of reference at:

- National Library of Vietnam;

- Center of Nguyen Thuc Hao Library, Vinh University

Introduction

1 Rationale

India and Myanmar are two neighboring countries that have a long-standing cultural, historical and ethnic relationship, have a long land and sea border in the Bengal Bay, it is of strategic importance to the entire East - South Asia region Myanmar is a country in Southeast Asia but it has a border with both major countries that are India and China, lying on the important road towards the east of India, and the road towards the Indian Ocean of China Because of that, the history of this country has been deeply influenced by the strategic competition of major countries Seeing the India - Myanmar relationship in the perspective of a relationship with a long history and culture, but as an asymmetric relationship between a large country and a small country, interwoven various beneficial factors has attracted the attention

of many researchers on the history of international relations

The relationship of India and Myanmar was officially established when the Friendship Treaty was signed in 1951 By 1991, after 40 years, the India-Myanmar relationship, despite experiencing many ups and downs, also left many marks in the development of two countries The study of the India-Myanmar relationship from

1991 to 2017 aims to further delve deeper into a traditional neighborly relationship, between a large country and a small country, clearly reflecting the mix of national interests and human rights democratic values have profound scientific and practical significance

India's policy towards Myanmar has undergone radical changes since the coup and the establishment of the military regime in Myanmar on 08 August 1988 India, along with Western countries, condemned the military regime and implemented an embargo against Myanmar The socio-political situation in Myanmar was always unstable, the closed policy along with the US and Western embargo and sanctions made Myanmar separate from the world, even when Myanmar was recognized as a member of ASEAN in 1997 Since 2003, Myanmar has entered the democratic reform process according to the 7-Step Roadmap and initially achieved positive results The international community had begun to turn to support Myanmar, creating

a strategic competition between the major countries in this country The study of the India-Myanmar relationship in the context of sweeping changes in Myanmar and India's policy as a regional power towards Myanmar had profound scientific implications

China's increasing influence in Myanmar, especially after 1988, created strategic concern for India Therefore, the Indian Government over the periods had made step-

by-step efforts to change policy with Myanmar after 1991, building a comprehensive relationship with Myanmar, including politics and economy For Myanmar, the process of democratic reform and national development needed the support of a big neighboring country as important as India The growing dependence on China required Myanmar's rulers to seek a balance in their relations with major countries Researching this relationship on the political and economic fields to understand the nature and the need for benefits from both India and Myanmar, in the context of China's unpeaceful rise was essential

Since 1991, India has shifted its foreign policy toward new strategic considerations with a focus on Look East Policy, followed by Act East Myanmar is a strategically important neighbor on the road towards the East of India As a member

of ASEAN in 1997 and joining into the most of regional cooperation mechanisms, Myanmar has become a gateway country on the road to Southeast Asia and Asia - Pacific Ocean - a region of most dynamically development in the world in the twenty-first century of India Study about this relationship from 1991 to 2017 in order

to better understand the manifestation of India's Look East/Act East Policy on a particular country

On the other hand, Myanmar shares borders with the sensitive northeastern states of India Myanmar has a border with China and India, creating an unstable T-junction in politics and security The relationship between two countries has always had potential instability factors for many years related to reactionary political forces, border disputes, drug crimes Research on the India-Myanmar relationship aims to shed light on the development of bilateral relations and how to resolve disagreements

to develop with high scientific and practical significance On that basis, studying the relationship between India and Myanmar from 1991 to 2017 in order to draw evocative lessons for Vietnam in the relationship among major countries

Stemming from the above reasons, we choose the research topic of the thesis as

“Political and economic relations between India and Myanmar from 1991 to 2017”

2 Subject, objects of research

2.1 Subject of research

The thesis systematically and objectively reproduces on the process of political and economic relations between India and Myanmar in the period 1991 - 2017, thereby drawing out the characteristics of this relationship

2.2 Objects of research

Time: The thesis focuses on research: “Political and economic relations

between India and Myanmar from 1991 to 2017”, that was, since India adjusted its

foreign policy, including the Look East Policy and the initial change in policy

towards Myanmar; Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visiting to Myanmar in September 2017 marked a strong shift in the bilateral relationship in many fields

Space: The research space of the thesis is mainly two subjects: India and

Myanmar However, because the political and economic relations of India - Myanmar

in the period 1991 - 2017 were also influenced by other subjects, so the research space mentioned was the Asian - Pacific Ocean regional context (understood in a broad sense including Asian countries and Pacific coastal countries)

Contents: The thesis researches on India - Myanmar relations from 1991 to

2017, in which mainly focuses on the research of bilateral relations on the main fields

of politics (diplomatic politics, national security politics) and economics (focusing on two main areas: trade in goods, investment) Relations between two countries in multilateral forums and relations in other fields such as society, culture are mentioned under the perspective of reference in order to clarify the tasks that the thesis seted out

Regarding the use of the name "Myanmar" in the thesis: In 1989, the ruling Military Council changed the country name in English from "Burma" into

"Myanmar" This change is still not accepted by many groups of Myanmar people because they do not accept the legitimacy of the military government The United

States, Australia, Ireland and Great Britain continue to use the name "Burma", while the European Union uses both The United Nations uses the name "Myanmar" In

order to ensure consistency, not to have political significance in using the name, the

thesis will use the official name as Myanmar in the text The term of “Burma” will

only be written in certain historical contexts prior to 1988 or in citations

In addition to the research object, limitations of time, space, contents mentioned above, other issues are not within the scope of the thesis research

3 Objectives and task of research

3.1 Objectives of research

The thesis is done to clarify the changes in India - Myanmar relations in the political and economic fields from 1991 to 2017 On that basis, the thesis analyzes the impact of this relationship for each country, region and draw features of the India-Myanmar relationship during this period

3.2 Task of research

The thesis defines the task:

- Analysis of factors affecting India - Myanmar relations from 1991 to 2017

- Comprehensive and systematic rehabilitation of the India-Myanmar political and economic relations from 1991 to 2017

- Draw comments on the characteristics of the bilateral relationship and its

impacts on India, Myanmar in particular and the region in general

4 Material sources used in the thesis

Within the permissible limits and capabilities, the thesis is researched on the basis of objective and reliable documents including:

- Original documents including: agreements, protocols, joint declarations, treaties, agreements signed between the Government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India for Myanmar; Statistical reports, annual reports of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

of India, speeches and statements of senior leaders of India and Myanmar about India - Myanmar relations posted on official websites of Government of India, Government of Myanmar

- The special references, official website's news page of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India and Myanmar, Embassies and Consulates of two countries, Vietnam News Agency, the official websites of Government of Vietnam,…

- Monographs and research references at domestice and abroad on Southeast Asia, Myanmar, India and India-Myanmar relations have been published

- Scientific works, articles published in specialized journals; proceedings of scientific seminars; thesis and dissertations related to India and Myanmar relations have been publishe

In addition, this is a topic both historical and research on international relations,

so during the process of implementation, the author also applies a combination of interdisciplinary scientific research methods such as : Methods of synthesis, analysis, comparison and methods of studying international relations to objectively and scientifically reproduce the India - Myanmar relationship from 1991 to year 2017 and the multidimensional and comprehensive reviews of study subjects

6 Contribution of the thesis

The thesis is a work that researches and analyzes systematically the economic and political relations between India and Myanmar from 1991 to 2017 according to the key issues: the influencing factors; contents and performance of the bilateral relationship in the political and economic field; thereby drawing the characteristics of

the bilateral relationship and its impacts on India, Myanmar in particular and the region in general

In the current context, Myanmar holds an important position in the process of implementing India's Look East and Act East Policy Therefore, the study and restoration of the India - Myanmar political and economic relationship from 1991 to

2017 clearly recognizes the foreign policy and trends, position of India and Myanmar

in international relations, the nature of this relationship Thus, it contributes to providing scientific evidence for Vietnam's external practice, especially in the context

of complex fluctuations of the geopolitical environment, economy in the region and the world

The thesis is a reference in teaching and researching on international relations, foreign policy related to India and Myanmar

7 Organization of the thesis

Besides the introduction, conclusion, references and appendices, the main content of the thesis is divided into 4 chapters:

Chapter 1 Literature Review

Chapter 2 Factors affecting the India-Myanmar political and economic relations

from 1991 to 2017 Chapter 3 India - Myanmar relations in the political and economic field from

1991 to 2017 Chapter 4 Impacts and characteristics of the India - Myanmar political and

economic relations from 1991 to 2017

Chapter 1 LITERATURE REVIEW

Political and economic relations between India - Myanmar has been interested in research by domestic and foreign scholars at different levels On the basis of accessible documents and works, we realize that this issue has been mentioned in some ways as follows:

1.1 Research situation in foreign countries

1.1.1 Studies on foreign policy of India and Myanmar

The works referring to the foreign policy of India are quite diverse, in which, with special emphasis on the Look East/Act East Policy Typical as: Khriezo Yhome,

India’s ‘Look East’ Policy - the Emerging Discourse (FPRC Journal, No.8, Foreign

Policy Research Centre, New Delhi, India, 2011); A.Sundaram, Look East Policy

(International Journal of Advancements in Research and Technology Volume 2, Issue

5, 2013); Baladas Ghoshal, Some New Thoughts on India’s Look East Policy (IPCS

Issue Brief, No.54, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, India, 2007;

Grareth Price, India’s Policy towards Burma (Asia ASP 2013/02, Chatham House,

London, 2013),… These works through foreign policy presentations that refer to Myanmar's place in the foreign policy of India

The research works on Myanmar's foreign policy have also been approached

such as: Challenges to Democratization in Burma: Perspectives on Multilateral and

Bilateral Responses, (2001); Lintner, Bertil, Burmar and Its Neighbours, (1998);

Azman Ayob (2015), Myanmar in India’s Intertwined Idealism - Realism, Foreign

Policy: A “Modified Structuralism Perspective”; Bihbu Prasad Routray (2019),

Difence Diplomacy between India and Myanmar; Fahmida Ashraf (2007), Myanmar relations… In which, relations with India are mentioned either in history/or

India-as a factor in the democratization process in Myanmar

This is an important basis for us to analyze the impact of factors on India - Myanmar relations in the political and economic fields

1.1.2 The study refers to the relations of India - Myanmar

As two neighboring countries with many similarities in history, culture, foreign policy, the relationship between India and Myanmar has been studied by a large number of foreign scholars

Basically, the research works of foreign scholars that the author has access to provide a panorama of the bilateral relations in the political and economic fields from

after independence to 2015 Typical as: Bibhu Prasad Routray (2011),

Myanmar Relations: Triumph of Pragmatism; Fahmida Ashraf (2007),

Myanmar relations; Gottschlich, Pierre (2015), “New Developments in

India-Myanmar Bilateral Relations; Institute of Social Sciences (2015), India-India-Myanmar

Relations Looking from the Border; K.Yhome (2009), India-Myanmar Relations (1998 - 2008):A Decade of Redefining Bilateral Ties; P.Gottschlich (2015), “New

Developments in India-Myanmar Bilateral Relations?”; Sing M (2012): India and

Myanmar: A partnership for Progress and Regional Devolopment… These works, in

general, are still general and have not gone into political and economic relations since and after 1991 and have also not mentioned much about the period of strong transition of the bilateral relationship after 2012

1.2 Research situation in Vietnam

1.2.1 The study refers to foreign policy of India and Myanmar

In Vietnam, there have been elaborate studies, outlining the main characteristics as well as the adjustments in India's foreign policy towards Asia-Pacific, Southeast Asia and Myanmar from after the Cold War to 2016 Typical as:

Ngo Xuan Binh (2019), Adjusting India's foreign policy under Prime Minister N

Modi; Hoang Thi Minh Hoa (2012), “The foreign policy of India and Southeast Asia

in the period 1991 - 2010 and its impact”; Tran Thi Ly (editor, 2002), Policy adjustments of the Republic of India from 1991 to 2000; Nguyen Thi Que, Dang Dinh

Tien (2017), India’s foreign policy in the early twenty-first century; Nguyen Trường Sơn (2015), The East-facing policy is a major strategy of India; Nguyen Thi Minh Thao (2015), India: from "Look East" policy to "Act East" policy”; Tran Nam Tien (2016), India with Southeast Asia in the new international context; Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (2018), Proceedings of International Conference, the

Rise of India and Impacts on Regional Security Architecture; Vo Xuan Vinh (2013),

ASEAN in India's Look East Policy…

Studies on Myanmar's foreign policy or general studies on Myanmar are not diverse and rich, but they have also highlighted the open trend in Myanmar's foreign policy in a number of works such as: Van Trung Hieu (2013), “Reform and open up

in Myanmar”; Chu Cong Phung (editor, 2011), History and present of Myanmar;

Man Huyen Sam (2013), “Democratic Reform in Myanmar: Causes and Impacts”;

Vu Quang Thien (2007), “Myanmar's position”; Vo Xuan Vinh (Editor, 2015),

Political and economic changes in Myanmar from 2011 to present: Context, content

sector in the early years of the twenty-first century”; Nguyen Tuan Binh, Dang Van Chuong (2017), “The foreign policy of India towards Myanmar in the period 1962

1992: From Idealism to Realism”; Nguyen Tuan Binh (2017), India - Myanmar

Relations (1962-2011), World History Thesis; Nguyen Thi Dung (2012) “Political

relations between India and Myanmar in the period 1991 to 2011”; Phung Thi Thao

(2019), “Relations between India and Myanmar under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”… According to the personal approach, no monograph has conducted a systematic study on the political and economic relations between India and Myanmar from 1991 to 2017 Most research works either collectively, or individually in some certain fields However, that is an important basis for the thesis

to restore and explain more deeply the relationship of two countries

1.3 Comment on the research situation and problems that the thesis should focus on solving

1.3.1 The issues have been studied

After surveying research works in Vietnam and abroad according to the above problem groups, the author found that the problems have been studied by domestic and foreign scientists, including:

Regarding Indian foreign policy, many studies have mentioned India's foreign policy in general and pay special attention to the Look East Policy In these works, Myanmar's position is generally seen as a country with an important position, a neighboring country, connecting India with ASEAN in the overall foreign policy of India

Regarding Myanmar's foreign policy, the works mainly presented on the process

of democratization and the open-door policy of Myanmar, the views and penetration

of major countries into Myanmar according to the process of democratic reform In it, India is also mentioned with many single aspects, mainly its stance and position in Myanmar's foreign policy

Regarding the political and economic relationship between India and Myanmar, there are many domestic and foreign works researching the relationship of India with Myanmar and achieving remarkable results Accordingly, a number of works have analyzed the factors affecting the change in two-country relationship, the progression

of that relationship in some separate fields such as political relations, cooperation in border development, economy, defense Researches are concentrated in the period after two countries gained their independence until 1991 and the period 1991 to before 2012, when the democratic reform process in Myanmar was basically completed

The research achievements on India - Myanmar relations are an important

source of references to help us in documenting, shaping ideas, building content and choosing suitable research methods The richness of the studies also provides the author with multi-dimensional perspectives with different perspectives when recognizing and evaluating the India-Myanmar relationship From there, we receive, synthesize and make objective and scientific judgments, assessments, comments that are suitable with research issues in the process of implementing the topic of political and economic relations between India and Myanmar from 1991 to 2017

1.3.2 Issues need to focus on solving

On the basis of surveying research projects in Vietnam and abroad by group of issues related to the above topic, it can be found that the shortcomings and raised problems need to be further researched and added as follows:

Firstly, although there are many studies on this relationship, it is either

generalized or going into the geopolitical aspect, geostrategic aspect or general and individual perspectives by country, or the research mainly stopped before 2012 Basically, there is no monograph that systematically researches about the India-Myanmar relationship in the political and economic field from 1991 to 2017 as a separate research object

Secondly, In the process of surveying domestic research projects, we found that

the study on India - Myanmar relations in the period from 1991 to 2017 of domestic scholars was limited Books, articles of foreign authors are considered as the main reference source of the thesis However, although these publications are rich in content, they come from foreign authors, each author of each country has different perspectives, views and assessments of issues Therefore, when inheriting those research results, it is necessary to have a systematic view, comparation, know critically and select materials in accordance with the research point of view, ensure the objectivity and reliability of the issues in the research problem

Thirdly, From studying the research situation related to the thesis topic, we

realize that some issues related to the thesis topic of the previously published works have not been thoroughly researched, creating gaps for the thesis to continue to learn, discuss and clarify such as: it is necessary to evaluate the positions of the factors affecting the political and economic relations of two countries in the period 1991 to 2017; Among these factors, how have the positions, objectives and strategies of two sides affected the mutual relations of two countries?; How are the political and economic relations of two countries clearly shown in the field of trade and investment?; What are the characteristics of the political and economic relationship of two countries in the period 1991 to 2017?; How does that relationship affect the development of each country and Southeast Asia?

Chapter 2 FACTORS AFFECTING INDIA - MYANMAR RELATIONS

FROM 1991 TO 2017 2.1 Regional and international context

2.1.1 International context

After the Cold War, international relations took place very complicatedly with the process of mobilizing the formation of a new world order Globalization trend takes place more and more increasingly powerful with a different scale and pace than

before Globalization creates a growing interdependence among countries, on the one

hand creates a trend of peace, cooperation and development, but on the other hand it also creates fierce competition on a global scale The scientific and technological revolution, especially the 4.0-industrial revolution, is taking place more and more strongly and has a profound impact on all aspects of the world economic and social life The competition for natural resources continues, in which, the oil becoming the top concern of all nations in the world The multi-polar landscape with the domination of major countries is becoming increasingly apparent, while America's ambition to establish a unipolar world order and the imposition of Western-style democratic values also has a profound impact to Asia - Africa - Latin America However, the trend of peace, cooperation and development continues to be the great trend of humanity Besides, non-traditional security challenges, ethnic conflicts, separatist wars, religious conflicts, environmental pollution continue to threaten human security, including India and Myanmar

Such a context requires India as a major country to be forced to change its foreign policy in order to continue to develop, including a change in Myanmar policy The Myanmar government was also forced to step by step reform, democratize the political life, quickly dismiss disagreements to open the door to integration with the world Therefore, India and Myanmar must quickly adjust their foreign policies, move closer together, in order to create favorable conditions for the construction and development of their country

2.1.3 The impact of the Chinese factor

The rise of China and its global ambitions have a profound impact on Myanmar relations Myanmar's important position on the road towards the Indian Ocean of China pushes it to penetrate deeply into Myanmar after decades This urges the Indian Government to change its policy with Myanmar to ensure its strategic position in Southeast Asia The desire to step by step get rid of dependence on China also forces Myanmar to change foreign policy with major countries, including India

India-2.2 Overview of India - Myanmar relations before 1991

India and Myanmar are two countries with a long historical cultural relationship During the colonial period, Myanmar is part of India, all of which are British colonies After two countries won their independence, the relationship between two countries had many ups and downs After a period of close relations (1948 - 1962), General Ne Win's military coup in 1962 pushed the relationship between two countries into a slowdown stage and somewhat cold The event on 8 August 1988 pushed the relations between two countries more and more tense until 1991 when India took a stance against the military government's suppression of the democracy movement in Myanmar The legacy of such a predestined relationship requires two countries to need a process of dismissing disagreements, prompting a search for a common voice in the post -1991 period

2.3 Political, economic and social situation of India and Myanmar's position in India's foreign policy (1991 - 2017)

2.3.1 An overview of the political, economic and social situation of India before 2017

After being granted independence from the British, India gradually developed, asserted the position of a major country in the region and played an important role in the situation of two poles and the cold war, being the backbone of the movement without affiliating and reputable in the third world In the late 80's of the twentieth century, India fell into a total crisis The collapse of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe made India lose its economic, political and defense support, and at the same time undermining the position and role of India in the international arena Against this background, in July 1991, India carried out economic reforms and adjusted foreign policy towards more pragmatic direction, clearly defined the policy focus with neighboring countries, implemented the the Look East Policy/Act East Policy, change policy with major countries, regions and economic centers around the world Since then, India has had a strong development, its position and role in the international arena have been gradually confirmed

2.3.2 Myanmar in India’s foreign policy

The key strategic geographic location, the wealth of natural resources, the