Myanmar no pawn in geopolitical games

In a time rife with conspiracy theories and the Cold War-style imaginings of major-power geopolitical games, it perhaps should come as no surprise that State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi's visit to China means the China-Myanmar relationship is being scrutinized through the lens of power games.

That Suu Kyi has chosen China as the destination for her first foreign visit outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has thus been interpreted as an attempt to assuage any concerns Beijing might have about Naypyitaw drawing closer toward disruptive foreign powers from outside the region, most notably the United States and Japan.

It would be naive to ignore the complexity of diplomacy in these times of uncertainty. After all, major-power competition for influence is a political reality in East Asia at present.