China’s grand strategy and Myanmar’s peace process

Abstract

Despite growing interest in China, scholars continue to grapple with its reemergence as a major power, offering gloomy predictions of a fraught geopolitical landscape. More recent analyses, however, stemming from constructivist thinking, explore the relevance of China’s history, geography, and culture in shaping its foreign policy. Encapsulated in the grand strategy concept, this perspective highlights China’s long-standing preoccupation with its periphery and emphasis on peace. Problematically, current scholarship offers little insight as to whether periphery countries also share this benign view of China. Aimed at addressing this gap, this article explores China’s role in Myanmar’s peace process, using ‘grand strategy’ to analyze over 50 interviews with diverse stakeholders in Myanmar. Based on the data, this article finds that China’s support for Myanmar is perceived to be economically driven, often at the expense of peace, implying that the historically inclined perspective of grand strategy requires rethinking.