Asia

The European Union has agreed to suspend non-military sanctions on Burma for one year, following democratic reforms in the Asian nation. Ruled by a military junta who suppressed opposition and wielded absolute power for over half a century, it was a widely-condemned pariah in the international community. [1]

But over the last two years, things have, slowly, begun to change. In 2010, pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest, which she had been under on and off for 21 years. In March 2011, a nominally civilian government was introduced under President Thein Sein, and in parliamentary elections in April 2012, the National League for Democracy, Ms Suu Kyi’s party, won 43 of the 45 seats it contested, including hers.

In April 2012, key EU figures visited Burma; David Cameron became the first British Prime Minister to visit the country since it declared independence in 1948, and Catherine Ashton visited between 28th-30th April. Both met with both Thein Sein and Aung San Suu Kyi. Ashton stated before her visit "The European Union welcomes the remarkable changes in Burma/Myanmar and has decided to open a new chapter in our relations. We have suspended the sanctions with the exception of the arms embargo. Of course reforms need to continue - we need to see further progress, in particular the unconditional release of all political prisoners and efforts to end ethnic conflicts. We are ready to assist with these efforts as well as with economic and social development. We will continue to support the democratic transition, including through electoral assistance, and encourage trade and investment in the country.”  [2]

As Ashton says, reforms need to continue: the military junta automatically has 25% of the seats in parliament, and the positions of interior and defence minister are reserved for serving generals. But the signs are certainly encouraging, and the West has recognised that. It can only be hoped that the progress continues, and that we will see a fully-democratic Burma being accepted and welcomed into the international community.

Image source: European Commission

The Commission welcomes the signature of a cooperation agreement between the EU and republic of Korea. Specifically, the agreement concerns the below main areas: the notification of enforcement activities that may affect the interests of the other jurisdiction; mutual assistance, including the possibility for one authority to ask the other to undertake enforcement action; coordination of enforcement activities; exchange of non-confidential information; and organisation of regular bilateral meetings between the parties’ competition authorities. Neelie Kroes, Competition Commissioner stated “This agreement is an important step in the effective application of competition rules and the fight against anticompetitive behaviour in the global economy. For decades international trade has been growing significantly and the world’s economies are becoming increasingly interlinked. This has multiplied the risk that anticompetitive practices affect more than one market and the likelihood that one competition authority’s action has implications for others. We are therefore eager to stimulate cooperation with other important competition authorities.”

Image: European Commission Audiovisual Service

This was highlighted by Commissioner Ashton during the EU- China talks. EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton and Chinese Vice- Premier Wang Qishan stressed at the Second meeting of the EU- China High level Trade and Economic Dialogue (HED) the necessity of economic openness in order to tackle the financial and economic crisis. The Dialogue which took place between 7/8 of May, included a discussion on ‘trade, investment and competition; small and medium-sized companies; customs cooperation; sustainable development including low carbon economy; energy; food safety and trade in food, consumer protection and product safety; healthcare; innovation and intellectual property rights; geographical indications; technology and information society; and transport.’. Both China and the EU delegation supported growth and trade opportunities for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).

Source: European Commission Audiovisual Service

Development Commissioner Louis Michel has obtained a visa for a diplomatic mission in Burma. He will attempt to persuade the leaders of the military regime to open their boarders to international aid which is desperately needed after the Southeast Asian country was hit by cyclone Nargis last week. Michel has promised the Burmese authorities that he would not take advantage of this trip to condemn the authoritarian regime and that he only objective was to help save as many lives as possible. The Commissioner is walking a tight rope but at this point it is absolutely essential to gain the trust of the Burmese government and get them to cooperated in dealing with this humanitarian disaster.

In the end of April President Barroso travelled to China to find solutions to the many political differences that exist between the EU and China. Mr. Barroso did not travel alone but brought nothing less than eight of his fellow Commissioners to the East – the largest delegation that the Union has ever sent to the People’s Republic. Despite the many contentious issues such as Tibet, climate change and the Union’s trade deficit vis-à-vis China, the leaders expressed satisfaction with the talks. The good atmosphere was probably secured because Barroso when referring to Tibet expressed his support for the “territorial integrity” of China while Trade commissioner Peter Mandelson stressed that the idea of European leaders boycotting any part of the Olympic Games was “not appropriate”.

580 MEPs voted ’in favour’ when the European Parliament on Thursday took on its traditional role as a staunch defender of human rights and democracy. In a resolution, the EP decided to condemn “the repression by Chinese security forces against Tibetan demonstrators”. Furthermore, the EP took to suggest that the EU-countries ought to boycott the Olympic Games opening ceremony if China does not engage in talks with the Dalai Lama. As the EP has no legal powers in foreign policy the resolution is not binding. Nevertheless, it puts political pressure on the traditionally more pragmatic Council to push the issue and to take a clear stance.

Those are the words of Javier Solana the EU diplomacy chief in response to a question on a potential EU boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The question which has been in the air for several months is becoming especially topical as the attention of the world focuses on the repression of riots in Tibet. While Chinese officials speak of 10 deaths, the Tibetan government in exile says that at least 90 people were killed as a result of Chinese repression. Germany, the UK and France have all confirmed that a boycott of the Olympic games was not an option all arguing that such a boycott would do nothing to improve the situation of the people living in Tibet. Arguably, passed boycotts of the Moscow 1980 games and of the Los Angeles 1984 Games were significant political gestures but changed little in the global balance of power or in the lives of ordinary people. On the contrary, the attention China will be getting this summer could indirectly shed light on human right abuses and the social consequences of China’s huge economic expansion of the past several years.

This week, Jose Manuel Barroso travels to China for the yearly EU and China political pow-wow. Whereas human rights issues have traditionally been high on the agenda, another topic seems to be dominating the agenda of this year’s summit: the economy. European leaders are not satisfied with the trade balance between the economies of China and the EU. The EU is the largest oversee export market for the Chinese but the traffic seems to be only one way. The Union exports more to Switzerland than to China and the result is a trade deficit that grows by a staggering 15 million euros per hour. European leaders are accusing China for not opening its market and, more generally, not following the rules of the World Trade Organisation WTO. Whether Mr. Barroso will bring home results is another question. The Chinese leaders feel that they are struggling with economic problems at home. Consequently, economic reforms that would open the Chinese market are not considered especially timely.