Sharing a long and porous border with Myanmar, confronting cross-border insurgency, managing refugee flows, advancing critical infrastructure projects, and countering China’s growing influence leave India with little room for diplomatic idealism

Driven by strategic pragmatism, India has had to embrace the military government of Myanmar despite the severe democratic backsliding there. New Delhi recently rolled out the red carpet for Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in 2021 through a military coup that toppled the democratically elected government of National League for Democracy (NLD) leader and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

India, which prides itself on being the world’s largest democracy, notably refrained from hosting U Min Aung Hlaing during the first four years after the coup. However, the veneer of legitimacy the former military chief has now achieved by engineering his appointment as President through a dubious parliamentary vote helped India shrug off its hesitation.

Myanmar, after all, is of immense geostrategic importance to India, with the two countries sharing an extremely porous 1,643-km land border. A restive and unstable neighbourhood directly threatens India’s national security interests, reinforcing the pressing need for New Delhi to engage with Nay Pyi Taw at the highest level.

India was the military leader’s first port of call since becoming President in April. Myanmar’s close ally, China - which has no qualms about the military junta’s trampling of democratic norms — had already engaged with U Min Aung Hlaing........

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