Thein Sein Tackles Chinese Navy Issue

Energy helps China maintain manufacturing prowess, steady employment and political stability. During a visit to China, Burma President Thein Sein will discuss the Chinese Navy’s use of Burmese ports, reports Wai Moe for the Irawaddy. China seeks permission to use ports rather than establish a permanent naval base, reports an anonymous source, aiming to patrol the Indian Ocean, protecting oil and gas transports, as well as Kyaukpyu terminal facilities in the Bay of Bengal: Those pipelines, financed by Beijing and scheduled for completion in 2013, reports the article, “are expected to have the capacity to transfer to Yunnan Province more than 80 percent of China's imported oil from the Middle East and Africa, as well as Chinese-purchased natural gas from Burma's Shwe Gas Field.” Pakistan has also offered China a permanent presence at Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea. Burma and Pakistan have great domestic troubles, but so far are reliable partners in protecting an essential ingredient for China’s success. – YaleGlobal