CTA rebukes clause to recognize ‘One China policy’ as Myanmar-China signs OBOR agreement/ENG

2020. január 22./Phayul.com/TibetPress

eredeti cikk

By Tenzin Dharpo

DHARAMSHALA, Jan. 22: As China and Myanmar signed 33 agreements to strengthen ties and accelerate development projects including initiatives from the ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative on Saturday, the exile Tibetan government known officially as the Central Tibetan Administration rejected China’s instance on Yangon to recognize the ‘One China Policy’ as a precondition to their bilateral partnership.

Information Secretary of the Central Tibetan Administration, Mr Tsewang Gyalpo Arya, on Tuesday decried a provision in the joint accord signed between China and Myanmar on 18 January that recognised Tibet along with Taiwan and Xinjiang (East Turkestan) as “inalienable parts of China, CTA run Tibet.net said.

“Chinese government’s insistence that Tibet is an alienable part of it from history is nothing but empty posturing without a grain of truth. At present, the Central Tibetan Administration is not seeking independence but is deeply committed to the Middle Way Approach to resolve the Sino-Tibet issue,” Arya was quoted saying.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the state Counsellor of Myanmar and Chinese President Xi Jinping put pen to paper on numerous deals to accelerate projects that essentially strengthen Beijing’s hold over the southeast Asian country and push forward its grand scheme of exerting economic control beyond the continent through the OBOR initiative.

While no new deals were agreed upon, consensus were reached on speeding up implementation of the China Myanmar Economic Corridor, a giant infrastructure scheme as well as agreements on railways line linking China to the Indian Ocean, a deep sea-port in Rakhine state, a special economic zone on the border, and a new city project in the commercial capital of Yangon.

As observers raised concerns of China’s OBOR initiative raking up immense benefit for Beijing prior to the agreement, a Yangon-based analyst with the International Crisis Group Richard Horsey expressed an opposite view. “While a large number of different agreements have been signed, there is no Big Bang here. The overall impression is that Myanmar is being cautious about Chinese investment, especially ahead of elections planned later in the year. China will be hoping that this is an incremental step towards realizing its mega-infrastructure goals, and that further progress can be locked in over the coming months,” he told Reuters.