China and Myanmar to ‘Settle’ on Myitsone Dam
By KEITH BRADSHER
Published: October 10, 2011
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi of China and his counterpart from Myanmar, U Wunna Maung Lwin, agreed to “properly settle matters” after Myanmar suspended construction of the large Myitsone hydroelectric dam that was being financed and led by a state-controlled Chinese company, China’s official Xinhua news agency said Monday. The report did not say whether China was demanding financial compensation for work done on the project before Myanmar backed out.
支票外交已死——缅甸背叛只为划界多分中国领土
支票外交已死——缅甸背叛只为划界多分中国领土
Last edited by samuel on Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: China and Myanmar to ‘Settle’ on Myitsone Dam
30 September 2011 Last updated at 11:10 GMT
Burma dam: Why Myitsone plan is being halted
In a rare concession, the Burmese government has suspended a long planned and highly controversial hydroelectric dam project in the face of growing public opposition.
The campaign against the construction of the Myitsone dam brought together conservationists, scholars, and political activists including Aung San Suu Kyi, and had become a serious test for the new civilian-led, military-backed government.
Myitsone was being developed jointly by the state Myanmar Ministry of Electric Power, the privately-owned Asia World Company of Burma and the China Power Investment Corporation.
Scheduled for completion in 2019, the dam would have created a reservoir some 766 sq km (296 square miles) - an area slightly bigger than Singapore. The vast bulk of the electricity generated - some reports say as much as 90% - was destined for export to China.
Myitsone had become something of a cause celebre for those who fear China's growing influence in Burma. Beijing, exploiting the void created by international sanctions, has moved rapidly to harvest Burma's rich natural resources.
International Rivers
"There's a widespread perception that China has taken advantage of Burma's situation over these past decades," according to Thant Myint-U, author of Where China Meets India: Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia.
"Burma can benefit enormously from Chinese trade and investment, but there is almost bound to be a backlash if Chinese projects are undertaken with zero transparency and little concern for their impact on local communities."
Myitsone is, or rather was, being built at the head of the Irrawaddy - the confluence of the Mali and N'Mai rivers - in Kachin state. It's an area of rich biodiversity, less than 100km from a tectonic fault line. Or to put it another way, Myitsone was a huge construction project in an environmentally sensitive, earthquake-prone area where armed ethnic minority Kachin fighters are battling the Burmese army.
The Kachin Independence Organisation saw the dam as a direct threat to its people and their livelihoods. Thousands of local villagers have already been resettled to make way for the dam; thousands more would have been forced to move as the project developed. But there was no public consultation.
Burma's birthplace
The potential environmental impact is harder to gauge. There is no legal obligation in Burma to conduct any assessment, though the China Power Investment Corporation (CPI) did commission a study by Chinese and Burmese experts. The report has not been made public, but parts have been leaked to activists. It is understood to have recommended two smaller dams be built instead of one, but that advice was ignored.
According to Grace Mang, from lobby group International Rivers, the CPI instead said it would study the impact of the dam during its construction. "The whole point of conducting an impact assessment is to prevent or mitigate impacts before they occur," she said. "If it's found that the environmental or social impact is unacceptable, then the project shouldn't be going ahead."
In the event, it may have been cultural and political calculations that led to the project being suspended. The Myitsone dam resonated well beyond the conservationist or Kachin communities because of its location, at the birthplace of the Irrawaddy.
"The Irrawaddy is the Burmese people's heritage, lifeline and civilisation," said Aung Zaw, editor of the Irrawaddy news website. "Everyone feels attached to it. That's the reason the campaign [against the dam] gained such support."
Outside Burma, activists from both environmental and human rights groups threw their weight behind the campaign. As Grace Mang put it: "They are flooding, quite literally, the birthplace of Burma. That's why so many are opposed."
'Bold decision'
Despite the fact that the man responsible for the project, Burma's minister of electric power, Zaw Min, only recently vowed that "we will never back down", other government figures began to waver. A diplomatic source based in Rangoon told the BBC: "There are signs of increasing unease among some ministers in Nay Pyi Taw. Maybe some political leaders do not want their legacy to be one of irreparable damage to the Irrawaddy."
This is, after all, a government that has been trying hard to convince a sceptical public at home and abroad that it is different from its military predecessor and serious about reform. Speaking ahead of the announcement that the Myitsone project was to be put on ice, Burmese author Thant Myint-U put forward the view that the dam could be a perfect opportunity for the new administration to prove itself. "Suspending work on the dam would be the best sign so far that the new government is serious about taking popular concerns into account."
It seems Burmese President Thein Sein agrees. The government will point to this decision as concrete evidence of its willingness to listen and to work in the interests of the people. Its critics will interpret the move as a cynical piece of public relations which can easily be reversed - the Myitsone project has, after all, only been suspended, not cancelled.
Aung Zaw thinks the suspension of the Myitsone project may encourage Burma's long-suffering activists.
"It is a bold decision to stand up against China but there are several dams [due to] be built along the Irrawaddy," he said.
"What about other mega-projects with China, including the gas pipeline? I predict there will be more campaigns in the future."
Burma dam: Why Myitsone plan is being halted
In a rare concession, the Burmese government has suspended a long planned and highly controversial hydroelectric dam project in the face of growing public opposition.
The campaign against the construction of the Myitsone dam brought together conservationists, scholars, and political activists including Aung San Suu Kyi, and had become a serious test for the new civilian-led, military-backed government.
Myitsone was being developed jointly by the state Myanmar Ministry of Electric Power, the privately-owned Asia World Company of Burma and the China Power Investment Corporation.
Scheduled for completion in 2019, the dam would have created a reservoir some 766 sq km (296 square miles) - an area slightly bigger than Singapore. The vast bulk of the electricity generated - some reports say as much as 90% - was destined for export to China.
Myitsone had become something of a cause celebre for those who fear China's growing influence in Burma. Beijing, exploiting the void created by international sanctions, has moved rapidly to harvest Burma's rich natural resources.
International Rivers
"There's a widespread perception that China has taken advantage of Burma's situation over these past decades," according to Thant Myint-U, author of Where China Meets India: Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia.
"Burma can benefit enormously from Chinese trade and investment, but there is almost bound to be a backlash if Chinese projects are undertaken with zero transparency and little concern for their impact on local communities."
Myitsone is, or rather was, being built at the head of the Irrawaddy - the confluence of the Mali and N'Mai rivers - in Kachin state. It's an area of rich biodiversity, less than 100km from a tectonic fault line. Or to put it another way, Myitsone was a huge construction project in an environmentally sensitive, earthquake-prone area where armed ethnic minority Kachin fighters are battling the Burmese army.
The Kachin Independence Organisation saw the dam as a direct threat to its people and their livelihoods. Thousands of local villagers have already been resettled to make way for the dam; thousands more would have been forced to move as the project developed. But there was no public consultation.
Burma's birthplace
The potential environmental impact is harder to gauge. There is no legal obligation in Burma to conduct any assessment, though the China Power Investment Corporation (CPI) did commission a study by Chinese and Burmese experts. The report has not been made public, but parts have been leaked to activists. It is understood to have recommended two smaller dams be built instead of one, but that advice was ignored.
According to Grace Mang, from lobby group International Rivers, the CPI instead said it would study the impact of the dam during its construction. "The whole point of conducting an impact assessment is to prevent or mitigate impacts before they occur," she said. "If it's found that the environmental or social impact is unacceptable, then the project shouldn't be going ahead."
In the event, it may have been cultural and political calculations that led to the project being suspended. The Myitsone dam resonated well beyond the conservationist or Kachin communities because of its location, at the birthplace of the Irrawaddy.
"The Irrawaddy is the Burmese people's heritage, lifeline and civilisation," said Aung Zaw, editor of the Irrawaddy news website. "Everyone feels attached to it. That's the reason the campaign [against the dam] gained such support."
Outside Burma, activists from both environmental and human rights groups threw their weight behind the campaign. As Grace Mang put it: "They are flooding, quite literally, the birthplace of Burma. That's why so many are opposed."
'Bold decision'
Despite the fact that the man responsible for the project, Burma's minister of electric power, Zaw Min, only recently vowed that "we will never back down", other government figures began to waver. A diplomatic source based in Rangoon told the BBC: "There are signs of increasing unease among some ministers in Nay Pyi Taw. Maybe some political leaders do not want their legacy to be one of irreparable damage to the Irrawaddy."
This is, after all, a government that has been trying hard to convince a sceptical public at home and abroad that it is different from its military predecessor and serious about reform. Speaking ahead of the announcement that the Myitsone project was to be put on ice, Burmese author Thant Myint-U put forward the view that the dam could be a perfect opportunity for the new administration to prove itself. "Suspending work on the dam would be the best sign so far that the new government is serious about taking popular concerns into account."
It seems Burmese President Thein Sein agrees. The government will point to this decision as concrete evidence of its willingness to listen and to work in the interests of the people. Its critics will interpret the move as a cynical piece of public relations which can easily be reversed - the Myitsone project has, after all, only been suspended, not cancelled.
Aung Zaw thinks the suspension of the Myitsone project may encourage Burma's long-suffering activists.
"It is a bold decision to stand up against China but there are several dams [due to] be built along the Irrawaddy," he said.
"What about other mega-projects with China, including the gas pipeline? I predict there will be more campaigns in the future."
支票外交已死——缅甸背叛只为划界多分中国领土
支票外交已死——缅甸背叛只为划界多分中国领土
2011-10-11 21:47:15
最近事關緬甸水電大壩的事情，一下子成為了西方，乃至國人關注的對象。之所以受到如此巨大的關注，並不是這個專案能夠帶給中國多少經濟利益或者讓中國多少人收益；受到關注更多的卻是緬甸這個中國一直以來的關係最為密切的國家的走向。不出所料的是，在停建大壩事件之後，緬甸緊隨其後派出重要的大員訪問了印度，而且是和越南同時訪問的。那麼在緬甸投靠西方的時候，到底需要多少錢才能換回緬甸的改弦易轍呢/
支票外交陷入死胡同，花錢越多問題越大
日本地震，中國提供了大量的金錢和3萬噸石油，日本不但沒有一聲感謝的聲音，仿佛這一切都是應該的，而且在隨後的時間裡，不但在釣魚島上對中國咄咄逼人，還在南海等事件上對中國舉起了恩斷義絕的武力威脅。
越南佔領中國島礁，這已經是不爭的事實了，但是中國不但忽略了越南的累累血債，反而提供了大量的低息貸款，刺激越南的經濟，美其名曰發展經濟合作。
美國，就更不用說了，中國不但成了冤大頭，還眼巴巴的給美國數著鈔票。
至於，西方的國家，至於澳大利亞，韓國等國家，一個個排著隊，等著中國的大量的資金援助，並且為了榨幹中國的資金運作的能力，利用中國在經濟和金融政策上的弱點，還有在指導思想上的缺陷，對中國進行群狼戰術，企圖拖垮中國。
這已經不是赤裸裸的陰謀了，已經是赤裸裸的陽謀了；但是為什麼中國在面對這些問題的時候，總是動用支票外交呢？如果受到新效果還是好的，但是結果是，越花錢，越被動！
這就不得不值得中國深思了！這樣絕對不是解決問題的辦法，更不是一個長久之計！
緬甸改變立場，能源通道停建，割走半壁江山
中國一直謀求在緬甸建立三路建設，所謂的三路，就是油路、氣路和鐵路。這三條路可以說是中國破局麻六甲海峽，避免和美國在麻六甲發生衝突的最佳的方案。但是現在緬甸反水了！
在水壩建設的問題上絕對是一個試探性的，最為重要的是後面的對三路建設的要脅上。
如果中國在水壩問題上，草草了事，不了了之的話，那麼下一步緬甸將在中國建設的油路問題上做出放棄建設的舉動。
在對中國的油路停建之後，要脅還沒有到位！最後緬甸所要的，可能就是在邊界問題上，對中國狠狠的敲詐一筆。因為直至今日，只有緬甸一個國家和中國沒有進行實際的邊界劃分了。
所以其他國家的為所欲為和肆意妄為，都給緬甸提了個醒，此時再不和中國就劃分邊界問題的話，就不會再有機會了！
而中國所要面對的後果是嚴重的，因為按照緬甸的要求，中國幾乎會將半壁江山割讓給緬甸。
成也蕭何敗蕭何——所謂的經濟發展合作，不是萬能良藥
為什麼這麼多的國家都在對中國投出不信任票呢？甚至是反對票呢？這不得不值得中國深思？
經濟發展了，真的就是萬能的良藥嗎？經濟發展了，真的就能讓中國完整和獲得尊嚴嗎？事實已經證明了，這條路是存在問題的，而且是十分嚴重的問題！
至於嚴重到什麼程度？現在已經逐漸的顯現了！
面對重重困境，中國尚存一線生機
此次緬甸的出走，對中國應該是當頭一棒！而且也預示著中國目前的處境已經到了非常嚴重的地步。但是嚴重是嚴重，並不代表中國已經身陷絕境。至少中國還存在一線生機。
在混亂的內部，這一線生機，就像垂死的病人氣若遊絲之時的一劑良藥。這個良機是什麼呢？就是中國能不能在如此困難的時候，找到能夠激發全民激情和信任，還有良知和國家尊嚴以及國家榮譽的東西，尤其是具有信仰性質的東西。找到了，就能擺脫目前的困境，擺脫不了，那就要看運數了！
總之，當不能失去的失去了，當不能失敗的失敗了，當不能放棄的放棄了，最終的結果就是想要完整的時候，就不能完整了；想要強大的時候，就不再會強大了！因為失去信仰和自尊的國家，即便不甲天下，也不會受到人的尊重！
僅此而已！
2011-10-11 21:47:15
最近事關緬甸水電大壩的事情，一下子成為了西方，乃至國人關注的對象。之所以受到如此巨大的關注，並不是這個專案能夠帶給中國多少經濟利益或者讓中國多少人收益；受到關注更多的卻是緬甸這個中國一直以來的關係最為密切的國家的走向。不出所料的是，在停建大壩事件之後，緬甸緊隨其後派出重要的大員訪問了印度，而且是和越南同時訪問的。那麼在緬甸投靠西方的時候，到底需要多少錢才能換回緬甸的改弦易轍呢/
支票外交陷入死胡同，花錢越多問題越大
日本地震，中國提供了大量的金錢和3萬噸石油，日本不但沒有一聲感謝的聲音，仿佛這一切都是應該的，而且在隨後的時間裡，不但在釣魚島上對中國咄咄逼人，還在南海等事件上對中國舉起了恩斷義絕的武力威脅。
越南佔領中國島礁，這已經是不爭的事實了，但是中國不但忽略了越南的累累血債，反而提供了大量的低息貸款，刺激越南的經濟，美其名曰發展經濟合作。
美國，就更不用說了，中國不但成了冤大頭，還眼巴巴的給美國數著鈔票。
至於，西方的國家，至於澳大利亞，韓國等國家，一個個排著隊，等著中國的大量的資金援助，並且為了榨幹中國的資金運作的能力，利用中國在經濟和金融政策上的弱點，還有在指導思想上的缺陷，對中國進行群狼戰術，企圖拖垮中國。
這已經不是赤裸裸的陰謀了，已經是赤裸裸的陽謀了；但是為什麼中國在面對這些問題的時候，總是動用支票外交呢？如果受到新效果還是好的，但是結果是，越花錢，越被動！
這就不得不值得中國深思了！這樣絕對不是解決問題的辦法，更不是一個長久之計！
緬甸改變立場，能源通道停建，割走半壁江山
中國一直謀求在緬甸建立三路建設，所謂的三路，就是油路、氣路和鐵路。這三條路可以說是中國破局麻六甲海峽，避免和美國在麻六甲發生衝突的最佳的方案。但是現在緬甸反水了！
在水壩建設的問題上絕對是一個試探性的，最為重要的是後面的對三路建設的要脅上。
如果中國在水壩問題上，草草了事，不了了之的話，那麼下一步緬甸將在中國建設的油路問題上做出放棄建設的舉動。
在對中國的油路停建之後，要脅還沒有到位！最後緬甸所要的，可能就是在邊界問題上，對中國狠狠的敲詐一筆。因為直至今日，只有緬甸一個國家和中國沒有進行實際的邊界劃分了。
所以其他國家的為所欲為和肆意妄為，都給緬甸提了個醒，此時再不和中國就劃分邊界問題的話，就不會再有機會了！
而中國所要面對的後果是嚴重的，因為按照緬甸的要求，中國幾乎會將半壁江山割讓給緬甸。
成也蕭何敗蕭何——所謂的經濟發展合作，不是萬能良藥
為什麼這麼多的國家都在對中國投出不信任票呢？甚至是反對票呢？這不得不值得中國深思？
經濟發展了，真的就是萬能的良藥嗎？經濟發展了，真的就能讓中國完整和獲得尊嚴嗎？事實已經證明了，這條路是存在問題的，而且是十分嚴重的問題！
至於嚴重到什麼程度？現在已經逐漸的顯現了！
面對重重困境，中國尚存一線生機
此次緬甸的出走，對中國應該是當頭一棒！而且也預示著中國目前的處境已經到了非常嚴重的地步。但是嚴重是嚴重，並不代表中國已經身陷絕境。至少中國還存在一線生機。
在混亂的內部，這一線生機，就像垂死的病人氣若遊絲之時的一劑良藥。這個良機是什麼呢？就是中國能不能在如此困難的時候，找到能夠激發全民激情和信任，還有良知和國家尊嚴以及國家榮譽的東西，尤其是具有信仰性質的東西。找到了，就能擺脫目前的困境，擺脫不了，那就要看運數了！
總之，當不能失去的失去了，當不能失敗的失敗了，當不能放棄的放棄了，最終的結果就是想要完整的時候，就不能完整了；想要強大的時候，就不再會強大了！因為失去信仰和自尊的國家，即便不甲天下，也不會受到人的尊重！
僅此而已！