The leader of Myanmar’s military-backed government met yesterday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, during which both leaders pledged to strengthen cooperation in a host of domains.
Min Aung Hlaing arrived in India on Saturday for a five-day state visit, his first to the country since leading the military coup of 2021, with a large delegation in tow. Min Aung Hlaing last visited India in 2019, in his capacity as the commander-in-chief of the Myanmar armed forces.
Unusually, Modi and Min Aung Hlaing did not address the media after their summit. But a joint statement issued after the meeting said that the two leaders “underscored the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation.”
Their discussion ranged over trade, defense, and security cooperation, border management, and “bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest,” the statement added. Modi and Min Aung Hlaing also agreed t0 expand collaboration in technology, energy, and critical minerals, and to accelerate major connectivity projects.
In particular, Min Aung Hlaing also assured Modi that he would not allow the use of his country’s territory by groups that pose a security threat to India.
“The President reiterated Myanmar’s assurance that its territory would not be permitted to be used against India’s security interests,” the joint statement read. Modi responded that India was “a steadfast and trusted partner of Myanmar” and “remained committed to deepening security cooperation between the two countries.”
Both sides also “agreed to continue close engagement at all levels.”
During the trip is scheduled to pay visits to Bodh Gaya and Mumbai for “business and industry interactions and site visits,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on May 28.
The trip is Min Aung Hlaing’s first since he was sworn in as president in April, following a multi-phase election that was widely criticized as a ruse to perpetuate the military’s hold on power. The election was boycotted by many opposition parties, and dominated by the military’s political cutout, the Union Solidarity and Development Party. It was also canceled in many parts of the country that were affected by conflict or under the control of armed resistance groups.
India’s decision to receive Min Aung Hlaing with full state honors has unsurprisingly prompted controversy, with domestic and regional civil society groups condemning the decision.
“Min Aung Hlaing is not Myanmar’s legitimate president,” Mercy Chriesty Barends, the chairperson of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, said in a statement. “He is the architect of a brutal coup that overthrew a democratically elected government, and has since presided over a campaign of mass atrocities against his own people.”
However, the attempts to push India to adopt a rights-focused approach have repeatedly encountered a brick wall. Despite expressing its deep concern about the military coup and calling for a restoration of the country’s democracy, India’s government has been coldly pragmatic about the military takeover and the nationwide uprising that resulted.
The month following the February 2021 coup, Indian officials attended the notorious iteration of the annual Armed Forces Day parade in Naypyidaw, which took place in the midst of a bloody crackdown on anti-coup protesters. Since then, the two governments have kept up a low but steady rota of ministerial-level visits.
Min Aung Hlaing’s visit signifies that India has shrugged off whatever concerns it might have had about engaging with Myanmar’s military. While levels of trade between the two nations are modest, and have fallen off further since the coup, India has considerable strategic interests in Myanmar.
Top of mind for Indian policymakers is the fact that the two nations share a porous 1,600-kilometer border that runs through regions of eastern India that have long harbored a number of stubbornly persistent ethnic minority insurgencies. The Indian military views the Myanmar armed forces as a key partner in containing these insurgent groups, which in many cases are active on both sides of the border.
The other factor is China. Reengagement with Myanmar would allow India to counterbalance China’s strong influence over the country, and potentially to secure access to Myanmar’s deposits of critical rare earths – vital commodities over which China exercises tight control. Reuters news agency reported last year that India was working to obtain rare-earth samples from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the most powerful ethnic armed group in Kachin State, a region rich in heavy rare-earth elements. Last month, Myanmar’s military launched renewed offensives in Kachin in a bid to take back territories from the KIA.
Min Aung Hlaing also has a lot to gain from the Indian visit. Since anointing himself president, he has waged a campaign to normalize relations with regional partners, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In this respect, an invitation to New Delhi is a significant win. Naypyidaw also has a parallel interest in offsetting the Myanmar military’s heavy dependence on China, which has been a concern for the top brass since the coup severed its relationships with many democratic partners.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri defended New Delhi’s decision to re-engage with the new “civilian” government in Naypyidaw and said that India’s policy is “not intended to be a commentary on the internal political arrangements.”
“We have always proceeded on the principle that sustained dialogue is what is important,” Misri said. “History has shown that disengagement doesn’t give us any results that are better than engagement.”