Japan is one of the top donors to Bangladesh. As well as official development assistance, Japan and Bangladesh have myriad nongovernmental exchanges ranging from agriculture to education.
Myanmar, though sanctioned by Japan for a long time, has also been receiving assistance in various forms. The Japanese government has adopted a rather tolerant attitude over enterprises investing in Myanmar, especially since the latter started democratic reforms.
The most important reason for Japanese aid to Bangladesh and Myanmar is the pair's geopolitical significance. Located between South Asia and Southeast Asia, the two countries are strategically critical for Japan to expand its political influence as well as its business operation.
The Japanese government wants to establish an Asian economic corridor, a network of roads and ports forming an east-west route stretching across Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh and India, and a north-south route linking Bhutan, Nepal to India.
In this way Japan can avoid the pirate-ridden Strait of Malacca to ship resources, notably oil and gas, from the Middle East.
Besides, both Bangladesh and Myanmar boast an intact market, a large and diligent population, a cheap labor force and relatively untapped resources. Nay Pyi Taw remains the last virgin market in the world after decades of isolations due to economic sanctions.
While attempting to check Beijing's growing influence upon ASEAN economies, Tokyo is also keen to open up their markets and get through all the way to South Asia. That's why Abe's cabinet has been quite active in heavily investing in infrastructure in the two countries.
In addition, Myanmar has taken on the ASEAN chairmanship for the first time in 2014, hoping to fulfill the 2015 ASEAN Community targets and put into practice the ASEAN Vision beyond 2015. Tokyo hopes to propose more initiatives for cooperating with ASEAN at the platform provided by Nay Pyi Taw. Moreover, the UN Security Council will hold reelections of non-permanent members in October 2015, and Tokyo is running as a candidate for the only seat in the Asia-Pacific Group.
It is worth noting that Japan has been elected as a non-permanent member 10 times so far and only lost the seat once to Bangladesh. Therefore, Tokyo has been sparing no efforts in luring ASEAN countries with mass investment and assistance to obtain more votes.
Under the WTO framework, Japan, as an important participant, has the obligation to provide aid to underdeveloped nations such as Bangladesh and Myanmar.
But inevitably, Kishida's maneuver has again been interpreted as a diplomatic endeavor to expand Tokyo's influence upon the geopolitically important region and contain a rising Beijing under the framework of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's strategic diplomacy with a global vision.
The Oriental Daily, a Hong Kong media outlet, published an article early last year stating that Beijing is losing its historical advantage in Myanmar and will probably be marginalized there if it does not take any measures to counter Tokyo's intensified penetration into this region.
While it is true that Sinophobic theories are running wild across Japan, Myanmar and its peripheral countries will hardly become an anti-China frontline in today's globalized world.
Countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar are independent and have the right to cooperate with any other state as long as such communication and exchanges are not targeted at a third party. Their independence in foreign policy should be fully respected and exercised.
What's more, these underdeveloped countries are in dire need of diversified investments and balanced markets. Thereby the key lies in whether China, Japan and other investors can compete with each other on an equal footing and refrain from a zero-sum game as globalization endows every nation with an equal opportunity.
Southeast and South Asian nations will not take sides, because since the end of the Cold War they have recognized their position in the international community and adopted a balanced diplomatic policy among powers by collaborating with a wide spectrum of states.
The article was compiled by Global Times reporter Wang Xiaonan based on an interview with Liu Junhong, a research fellow with the Institute of Japanese Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. wangxiaonan@globaltimes.com.cn
http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/will-japans-diplomacy-win-hearts-and-minds-in-southeast-asia/
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