The late veteran Burmese journalist Chit Tun once wrote in the Far Eastern Economic Review that there had been many “firsts” between Burma and China.

“Burma has had many ‘firsts’ with China,” he wrote. “It was the first nation outside the Communist bloc to recognize the People’s Republic in 1949; the first to conclude a Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Non-Aggression in 1961; the first to achieve a boundary settlement with China in 1961; and one of the first to patch up relations with Peking [Beijing] after the Cultural Revolution.”

If Chit Tun were still alive, he could probably add many more “firsts” between the two nations as they continued to develop friendly relations. In his absence, I can confirm that many more firsts between China and Burma have been added to the list in the last 20 years.

Burma’s ruling leaders were the first to express sympathy for Beijing’s crackdown on demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in 1989. The remarks of Burma’s intelligence chief and Secretary one at the time, Brig Gen Khin Nyunt’s, were quite significant. “We sympathize with the People’s Republic of China as disturbances similar to those in Myanmar last year [recently also] broke out in the People’s Republic,” he said in 1989.

Two years later, in 1991, China was the first country to sell arms, jet fighters, frigates and other major military supplies to Burma.

On Thursday, the Burmese junta sent a special envoy to China to meet Chinese leaders and brief them on the situation in Burma. Foreign Minister Nyan Win made an unpublicized visit to China, where he met Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan in Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the Chinese government.

According to a report by China’s Xinhua news agency, Tang said China, as a friendly neighbor of Burma, sincerely hoped the country would restore internal stability as soon as possible, properly handle issues and actively promote national reconciliation.

Tang also said the democracy process was in the fundamental interests of the people of Burma and conducive to regional peace, stability and development.

There is no doubt that Nyan Win’s visit to China as the envoy of junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe further signaled Beijing’s influential role in Burma’s internal affairs.

The trip was doubtless undertaken to explain to China the events of recent weeks in Burma. The regime’s heavy handed crackdown on demonstrators was roundly condemned by the UN and the international community, but not by China and India.

The crisis in Burma was treated so seriously by the regime that it cancelled a planned visit to Bangladesh by the junta’s number two, Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye. But it could not ignore the Chinese.

Nyan Win’s surprise visit to brief the Chinese on the situation in Burma clearly demonstrated once more that Burma heavily depends on China and may even seek that country’s support if the Burma issue is again discussed at the UN.

My reading of the meeting between Nyan Win and Tang is simple. The Burmese foreign minister would probably have told Tang of “development” and “success” in the recently concluded National Convention; he may even have told the Chinese that “destructive elements,” supported by the West and exiled groups out to destabilize Burma and sabotage the “road map,” were behind the rare protests. He may also have assured Tang that “disciplined democracy” would soon flourish in Burma.

Nyan Win’s visit is not the first time Burmese envoys have briefed Chinese leaders on the situation in Burma. In December 2005, at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, then Prime Minister Gen Soe Win briefed Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on Burma’s internal situation.

Wen Jiabao, who was attending the 9th Asean-plus-China summit, indicated that what happened inside Burma was an internal matter and should be properly handled by the Burmese government and people independently through consultations. The international community should offer constructive assistance for Burma to independently resolve its domestic issues, Wen Jiabao said.

The Chinese premier also said China believed the Burmese government and people could successfully resolve their own issues and advance the process of domestic national reconciliation.

The truth is that, aside from packages of aid and business deals, Burmese leaders can’t bark or bite without China’s political and moral support. Political pundits noted that China’s decision, together with Russia, to shoot down the US initiative for the Burma issue to be raised at the UN Security Council, was interpreted by hardliners in the Burmese regime as strong signals of support.

As a result, organized thugs roamed at will, tasked with maintaining “law and order,” in incidents that increased in number and ferocity as the year advanced.

Yet China appears to be becoming impatient with the slow pace of change in Burma. Its frustration and desire to see some positive change is evident.

In June, China hosted an unpublicized meeting between senior US State Department officials and Burmese ministers in Beijing. This rare meeting sent a signal that Washington, a vocal critic of the Burmese regime, would like to engage with China in encouraging change in Burma. China appears happy to accommodate the US.

This Chinese desire to see a politically stable Burma was also evident at the
meeting between Tang and Nyan Win. As Xinhua reported: “China whole-heartedly hopes that Myanmar [Burma] will push forward a democracy process that is appropriate for the country.”

It is to be hoped that Tang’s message is not an empty one and that it will carry some meaning.

During the Cultural Revolution, China’s support for the Communist Party of Burma was easy to understand. China wanted to spread communism and its ideology and forge party- to-party relations.

Beijing’s unconditional support for the regime in Burma, however, has been a disgrace. There is a chance now for Beijing to reverse its policy by signaling to Burma’s military rulers that they can expect only conditional support in the future.

Then we can be sure that many more “firsts” will follow in the story of Chinese-Burmese fraternal friendship.