How Does The Geopolitical Vulnerability Affect Myanmar's Foreign Policy Towards China?

Myanmar's specific geographical location-situated directly in the crossroads between the Greater Mekong Subregion and the strategic Rimland of the South Asian Sub-Continent-affirms its political position as a center of geopolitical conflict enmeshed in power bargaining and struggle among the Great Powers.Furthermore,the Geopolitical Vulnerability that incurs major risks(externally in terms of geo-environment and political ecology,and internally in terms of strategy)strongly influences Myanmar's domestic political development and its foreign relations.Specifically,this influence is exerted at the level of policy-making.The external influencing factors consist of its geographical position,surrounding situations and changing international patterns,while the internal influencing factors consist of complicated political struggles,immature social and economic development,fierce religious and ethnic contradictions and unstable military forces.Although many observers in the field of Southeast Asian studies believe that Myanmar's relations with China faced a grand challenge after the presidential election,it is unassailable that Myanmar's China policy has remained basically consistent since 1948.Thus,it is essential to determine the potential laws of the Sino-Myanmar relations beyond the geopolitical vulnerability for Southeast Asian studies.As a result,this article focuses on Myanmar's China policy in order to analyze how its specific geographical features affect bilateral relations.Moreover,China's response towards this political uncertainty matters for regional stability.