CNI News

May 27, 2026

Political analyst Dr. M Kawn La told CNI News that some of the world's powerful nations are shifting toward establishing economic influence over Myanmar rather than pursuing military aggression.

Currently, a powerful neighboring nation is increasing its economic encroachment in certain areas, including Mandalay and northern Shan State. They are using Myanmar citizens as proxies while freely funding and operating businesses behind the scenes, he said.

Dr. M Kawn La stated: "To give a clear example, in the jade mining industry of Phakant in our Kachin State, auction systems are used. For instance, areas with rich jade veins are put up for auction. In the past, local ethnic businessmen could still win them. However, lately, Chinese investors are using a Myanmar national as a proxy while funding the operations from behind. As a result, our ethnic businessmen cannot compete. They cannot afford to bid for the mining blocks. Because they cannot compete, the production of raw gemstones has fallen into the hands of the Chinese. Since the market for finished goods is also in their country, they control the raw materials, leading to fewer opportunities for our citizens in our own gemstone industry. Everyone knows this. This is just one example of foreigners exerting economic dominance. Another issue is the buying and selling of land, which has been going on for a long time. They use citizens as proxies and buy land in groups. Consequently, our ordinary citizens no longer have the opportunity to buy land with their hard-earned money. Inflation has risen. Through these methods, our country's economy has declined, and the opportunities in the hands of our citizens have dwindled."

Furthermore, political observers point out that powerful nations are manipulating things from behind the scenes to achieve their desired political outcomes.

Currently, rather than invading a country through military means, powerful nations are attempting to dominate and control them through aid and assistance, said General Ye Win Oo, Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces, during the 23rd ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting held on May 21, 2026.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing

He added that instead of military invasion, they are approaching and operating through diverse forms—including political, economic, social, ideological, propaganda, military, and diplomatic means—in order to control and dominate the targeted country.

Particularly, some powerful nations are making competitive efforts to bring smaller countries in the Asia-Pacific region under their influence, moving from political and economic dominance to forming military alliances and conducting joint military exercises for military dominance, General Ye Win Oo stated.

Dr. Kyaw Swe, a Pyithu Hluttaw (House of Representatives) MP from the National Unity Party (NUP), told CNI News that a separate border security force needs to be formed to protect against the influence of powerful neighbors.

He said: "International domination is now proceeding under neo-colonialism. In our case, we have two neighboring powerful countries next to us—China and India. We also see Thailand acting like a state of the United States. The main problems are occurring right at those borders. It is obvious from the current perspective that those countries are breeding proxies and maintaining proxy forces to get raw materials cheaply for their own countries. This is clearly visible. To counter this, we must strengthen security in ethnic and border regions. Furthermore, we must erect fences on the ground according to the defined borders. It will be necessary to form something like a dedicated border security force separately."

Daw Saw Mra Raza Lin, Chairperson of the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), told CNI News that Myanmar stands between two large countries and is also being watched by powerful nations like those in Europe; however, if the country has stability, unity, and good strategies, invasions from other countries will not be possible.

Leaders from neighboring and powerful countries

She said: "In this day and age, democracy is flourishing in many countries around the world. We see a lot of nations being built by prioritizing democracy and human rights. In the case of our country, we are positioned between two large nations, while some powerful European countries are also watching this side. From my perspective, if a country is weak, there are many ways another country can come and invade it. If a country has, number one, political stability; number two, prosperous citizens; number three, unity among all its people; and if it is rich in above-ground and underground natural resources as well as knowledgeable and skilled human resources with good strategies, it is impossible for other countries to enter and invade. Our citizens as a whole, including ethnic unity, need this a lot."

Military and political analysts assess that if the impact of foreign influence cannot be prevented, Myanmar’s oil, natural gas, jade, gemstone reserves, and strategic coastal ports will be manipulated and exploited at will.

They further analyzed that control over territories in Myanmar is currently fragmented among ethnic armed organizations, local defense forces, and the military. If a foreign invasion occurs under these conditions, the centralized power system could completely collapse, potentially tearing the country apart and posing a grave danger of Myanmar becoming a failed state.