Peace and Harmony: A Case Study of China’s Use of Soft Power in Myanmar Ine Marie Raa Master Dissertation Department of Political Science Faculty of Social Science University of Oslo Spring 2019 Number of words: 28 819 !I !II Peace and Harmony: A Case Study of China’s Use of Soft Power in Myanmar !III © Ine Marie Raa 2019 Peace and Harmony: A Case Study of China’s Use of Soft Power in Myanmar http://www.duo.uio.no !IV Trykk: Reprosentralen, Universitetet i Oslo !V !VI Abstract This thesis sets out to explore China’s use of soft power in Myanmar. It examines the different policies China is carrying out in the country, and considers the effects of these policies in three particular areas: cultural diplomacy; political values and ideology; and legitimacy and moral authority. Linking China’s use of cultural diplomacy together with its foreign policy and legitimacy creates a framework to allow us to gain a broad understanding of its uses of soft power in Myanmar. Although the long-term effects of China’s attempts to exercise soft power policies in Myanmar are still unclear, it has so far struggled to achieve success, particularly because of a failure to align its rhetoric and actions. Nevertheless, throughout this thesis I suggest that China has recognised the importance of the use of soft power, and because of Myanmar's economic dependency on the country, China has sometimes been able to adapt and ‘experiment’ with how soft power policies can best be combined with hard power to achieve its aims. !VII !VIII Acknowledgement It has been far more work and emotions involved in writing this thesis than I ever imagined. But it also has been a year of excellent literature and the pleasure of creating something I’m pleased with. I would like to thank my supervisor, Scott Gates for guiding me and giving me feedback throughout this process. Furthermore, I would like to thank my grandparents for giving me a roof over my head during this period, as well as all the discussions and conversations this has allowed us to have. Most of all, I would like to thank my boyfriend, Simon. He has been not only been kind enough to talk about and discuss all aspects of this thesis and beyond, but also motivating and inspiring me more than anyone could dream of. May, 2019 Ine Marie Raa !IX !X Contents 1. Introduction ..........................................................................................................................2 1.1. Sino-Myanmar Relations ...........................................................................................................3 1.2. Theoretical Framework .............................................................................................................6 1.3. China’s Use of Soft Power .........................................................................................................9 1.5. Relevance of the Thesis ............................................................................................................15 1.4. Literature Review .....................................................................................................................16 1.6. Overview of Thesis ...................................................................................................................19 2. Methodology .......................................................................................................................21 2.1. Case Study................................................................................................................................. 21 2.2. Data and Sources ......................................................................................................................22 2.3. Validity ......................................................................................................................................23 3. Culture ................................................................................................................................24 3.1. Culture as a Soft Power ...........................................................................................................24 3.2. Chinese Cultural Power ...........................................................................................................25 3.3. Background: China-Myanmar ................................................................................................27 3.4. China’s Use of Cultural Diplomacy in Myanmar ..................................................................28 3.5. Education: Confucius Institutions ..........................................................................................30 3.6. Social Media: WeChat .............................................................................................................36 3.7. Discussion ..................................................................................................................................43 4. Political Ideology and Political Values .............................................................................47 4.1. Political Values and Ideology ...................................................................................................47 4.2. China Political Values and Ideology .......................................................................................48 4.3. Background: Sino-Myanmar Political Values .......................................................................49 4.4. Economic Policies .....................................................................................................................51 4.5. Border Stability and Peace Negotiations ................................................................................56 4.6. Environment Policies ...............................................................................................................61 4.7. Discussion ..................................................................................................................................67 5. Legitimacy and Moral Authority ......................................................................................69 5.1. Legitimacy and Moral Authority ............................................................................................69 5.2. China, Myanmar and Legitimacy ...........................................................................................70 5.3. Official Bilateral Relations ......................................................................................................71 5.4. International Organisations - ASEAN ...................................................................................74 5.5. Discussion ..................................................................................................................................78 7. Discussion ...........................................................................................................................80 7.1. The Impact of Soft Power in Myanmar ..................................................................................80 7.2. What Does This Mean? ............................................................................................................83 7.3. Challenges .................................................................................................................................84 7.4. Conclusion .................................................................................................................................86 Bibliography ...........................................................................................................................87 !XI !XII List of Acronyms ACFTA - ASEAN-China Free Trade Area AIIB - Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank ASEAN - Association of Southeast Asian Nations BRI - Belt and Road Initiative CCP - China’s Communist Party CCTV - Chinese Communist Television CNPC - The China National Petroleum Company’s EIA - Environmental Impact Assessment NDB - New Development Bank PLA - People’s Liberation Army PRC - People’s Republic of China UN - The United States UNESCO - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization !0 !1 1. Introduction Despite various economic disputes and ongoing political disagreements, 2018 saw China- Myanmar Pauk-Phaw relations at their strongest since the political transition in Myanmar in 2011 (Peng, 2018). Over the past year the two countries have agreed upon and signed a range of plans and projects, allowing for the further development of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and facilitating the rapid improvement of Myanmar’s development and infrastructure. The Belt and Road Initiative, also known as the New Silk Road, or One Belt One Road, is Xi Jinping’s major infrastuructal project connecting trade routes across Asia, Europe, and Africa, connecting through land and sea. For China to connect the BRI to the remaining Southeast Asia and Africa, accessing to Myanmar’s location is essential. After Myanmar’s political transition in 2011, China and Myanmar’s long established and interdependent relations hit a wall, impeding the development of China’s infrastructure projects related to its new Belt and Road Initiative. Particularly, mass public demonstrations against the construction of the Myitsone Dam Project in the Northern parts of Myanmar led to the suspension of the project. It became clear that China’s economic investment in the country, although providing great leverage, wasn’t going to be sufficient to ensure the smooth passage of China’s ongoing development projects,