ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses the broad trends in Myanmar's relations with the United States and China, with the aim of recommending options for future engagement that balances the presence of both 'giants' in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. It argues that Vietnam, through its handling of the South China Sea dispute and its ties with the two great powers, could play a role in shaping Sino-US relations. Engaging Myanmar through the country's reform process and through the ASEAN platform is thus a pragmatic exercise for the US and China. Beijing's policy of engagement with Myanmar is based on a pragmatic interest in Myanmar's strategic geographical location, and concern for the potential implications of Myanmar's political and economic stability affecting China, especially the provinces immediately bordering Myanmar. Myanmar's role in engaging the US and China would be to balance the interests of the two while extracting some tangible benefits from each for itself and the region.
