THE TRADITIONAL KOWTOW - Kanbawza Win ( Kao-Wao )

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THE TRADITIONAL KOWTOW

KANBAWZA WIN

‘Kowtow’ or ‘Kotou ’ in Chinese means paying obeisance, ‘ Kow ’ means knock and ‘ Tow ’ means head. The Kowtow is the Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead, as an expression of respect, submission or worship. This is similar to the Burmese word ‘Gadau’ (written as Kantaw) means to pay obeisance with one’s hands clasped palm to palm and raised to touch one’s forehead and bow down to the ground. And this is exactly what the Burmese Generals are doing to the new generation of Chinese leaders.

Looking back at the history of our beloved country, we discover that weak Burmese kings had always given out tribute to the big neighbor China and had more or less depended on the whims and fancies of the Chinese for its security. We are afraid that this is true today, when we read that General Than Shwe calls China “Pauk Paw” literally translated in Burmese, ‘as blood brother but meaning 'fraternal friend'. His trip to Beijing yielded US$200 million of a preferential loan package, several pacts to enhance health, technical and economic cooperation, plus the prospect of new industrial projects to help the cash-strapped Junta. China has also agreed to write off parts of the due debts by Burma.

China has a long history of constructing bridges over the roaring Salween such as Kunlong and Takaw bridges, built Sittaung paper mill, Zwe tractor factories and now has agreed to construct a four-lane highway bridge across the Irrawaddy River in Mandalay. Last year China completed the first phase of Rangoon's Thilawa shipyard, by far China's biggest project in Burma and has signed a US$6.5 million contract to build digital auto-telephone exchanges in 12 towns - a huge step forward for a nation with only 280,000 telephones for 56 million plus people.

It seems that the General has forgotten the finer points of history when in 1044 King Anurudha better known as Anawrahta, founder of the first Burmese dynasty passed through Bhamo and Katha into Yunnan province. He forced the Chinese emperor to exchange presents with him, a sign indicating the recognition of each other’s sovereignty. King Bayinnnaung of the second Burmese dynasty and Hsinbyushin of the Third Burmese dynasty likewise routed the Chinese army out of the country. In the long history of Southeast Asia only the Vietnamese and the Burmese can stand up against the Chinese tide. While Vietnam has maintained this glorious trait the weak and poor Burmese generals meekly kowtow to the Chinese. What a shame to the country and the people of Burma.

Since the current Junta came to power, the Chinese have become more involved in key economic sectors that has atrophied and shamelessly allowed the use of renminbi as a legal tender in Burma (not even the US dollar is allowed to be used) which indicates surrendering a part of its sovereignty to the Chinese. China's widening involvement underscores its growing presence and its clout is likely to grow even more. China's massive aid and trade, unmatched by any other country, fills the large void created by Burma's diplomatic isolation.

About 600 Burmese scientists are now studying in Moscow, and China remains the chief supplier of military hardware - tanks, ships, aircraft, rockets, recoilless guns and ammunition - to the junta, which spends about one third of its budget on the armed forces. The People’s Daily said that the New Chinese leader Hu Jintao would always consider Burma as a good neighbor.

However, General Than Shwe still has to beat the record of his predecessor U Ne Win who went to Beijing and kowtow thirteen times. Duan Tingchang wrote a shamelessly entitled “Sino-Myanmar friendship to develop faster” in Xinhua News Agency, 14 January 2003, saying that “The earliest exchange between them (Burma and China) dates back to the 4th century BC. Since ancient times, the Myanmar people have called the Chinese "paukphaw" –– "full brothers." However, historians of ancient Burmese history have all agreed that Burmese or ‘Mien’ people entered Burma only in 9th century AD from Kansu. So nobody knows where the Burmese were at the 4th century BC. In this particular aspect the Chinese seem to have taken a leaf out of the Junta in twisting history. Moreover Xinhwa News Agency wrote, “In international affairs, they support each other and coordinate closely, becoming trustful cooperative partnersand China has always respected Myanmar's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.” This indicates that China will give diplomatic support and will defend Burma if attacked by a third party.

Obviously the frequent exchange of friendship with Beijing upset India which fought a border war with China at the height of the Cuban Missiles crisis in 1962, when China construed that Soviet Union would go to war with the US and that it would take an advantage with India. Now that Burma has become a Chinese vassal, having access to the Indian Ocean, China can directly challenge India and the rest of South Asia. What more proof is wanted when Chinese electronic monitoring devices were set up on the Burmese coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea to monitor all the traffic in that area.

To counter China's growing influence, the ASEAN countries have adopted a Constructive Engagement policy and endeavor to improve relations with the military regime. Still, China's influence as a rising power will become more palpable in the years ahead. With its growing economic might comes political clout. The proposed ASEAN-China free-trade agreement, if it comes about in 2010, will further enhance Chinese presence in the region. The Chinese clearly see that the road to Southeast Asia lies through Burma and the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link estimated about US 2.5 billion is just one project where for her hegemony over the region can be felt.

The visits and accompanying promises have underscored the importance of China’s patronage as the country was shunned by Western countries which had imposed sanctions on its gregarious human rights records and failure to hand over power to the democratically elected. The Junta has countered it by releasing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and hired a Washington DC based DCI Associate lobbying firm with the vain hope that it would encourage the Western countries to soften its stance. However, the rapist Burmese army with a good record of indiscriminate killings coupled with the Generals reluctance to engage in substantive dialogue prevented it from achieving this goal.

Furthermore, Burma’s economy is deeply troubled, plagued by rapid inflation, including rocketing of basic food prices and plunging currency (about 1200 Kyats to a US dollar) compelled the Junta to realize that only China can save him and kowtow to them. They could have easily negotiated with dignity with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to work together for the country and people but their lust for power propelled them to commit such shameless traits.

Kanbawza Win (Bruxells Belgique)

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