China Calls Out “Extreme” Burmese Opposition

The Irrawaddy news outlet covers the ongoing dispute between China and Myanmar concerning potential hydroelectric power stations on the Irrawaddy and Salween rivers. The disagreement began in 2011 when Myanmar cancelled the Chinese Myitsone Dam project, due to what authorities called environmental concerns. The actual meaning of the action, as The Irrawaddy notes, appeared to some to be an attempt by Myanmar to “distance itself from Beijing” and to throw off its "over-reliance economically on China.”

Burmese leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is looking to resolve the conflict, but she faces a tough political situation, as she needs China’s cooperation in talks with ethnic minority armed groups on the China-Myanmar border but is pressured by some Burmese civil societies not to make a deal with China.

Chinese newspapers vilify the protesting Burmese citizens, calling them extremists who are harming mutually beneficial joint investment projects, both by active disruption and by influencing Burmese media.

Read more here: http://www.irrawaddy.com/burma/china-media-opposition-hydropower-dams-bu...

This article raises an interesting debate about whether or not China has the right to use Myanmar’s natural resources for energy or to dispute Myanmar's decision to cancel the project. This article also makes me question if it’s wise for Myanmar to let its feelings toward China influence its policy, or, in other words, is refusing to cooperate with China for the sole purpose of maintaining a nationalist sense of independence a justifiable course of action?