CNI News
23 May 2025
There are reviews among military and political commentators, regarding where the SAC Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing's policy towards relations with not only China but also the United States is headed for.
The SAC Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing said in an interview with Russian television channel RT in Moscow, Russia, on May 8 that he would like to engage not only with China but also with the United States.
The SAC Chairman said that Myanmar is a friend of the United States, and China is a neighbor, strategic partner, and brotherly country, and Myanmar will establish the best possible relations with both countries. For a small country like Myanmar, it is better to go in parallel rather than approaching a single powerful country politically, U Khun Sai, who is involved in the peace process, told CNI News.
"The 2008 Constitution states that all countries should be friends. We have been friends with all countries since independence. I think this is what the SAC Chairman said in principle. "We must have an equal approach to the big powers. We should not be more reliant on one side. If we have an equal approach to all big powers, it will be good for us. Big countries should also understand small countries," he said.
While the SAC Chairman was meeting with RT, a Russian News Agency
Myanmar's foreign policy is an independent and proactive foreign policy, and it pursues friendly relations with all countries. The SAC chairman said that currently, geopolitically, large countries are trying to control small countries or other countries, and that the problem between China and the United States could become more complicated if other countries get involved.
As the conflict between China and the United States escalates, Myanmar needs to work on building good relations with all major countries rather than choosing one, China-Myanmar analyst Dr. Hla Kyaw Zaw told CNI News.
"One thing is that the conflict between China and the United States is not as serious as we think. Second, if they are serious, we will treat China well. We will treat the United States well. We will treat Russia well. These are things that we small countries need to learn to do. We will unite with China and oppose the United States.
President Putin, President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping
We will unite with the United States and oppose China. This is what people who are not skilled in diplomacy do," she said.
The US currently has increased tariffs of up to 44 percent on Myanmar, and the SAC chairman said during his visit to Russia that it was not appropriate to increase tariffs on a developing country, and that it was better to avoid trade that is dependent on a single country and trade with all countries.
Currently, there is intense fighting in Myanmar between the Burmese military and armed groups. In these conflicts, there are pro-American armed groups and pro-China armed groups.
