Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing delivers an address at opening of Forum on Myanmar Beyond 2025: Challenges and Opportunities in a Multipolar World

March 21

This morning, a Forum on Myanmar Beyond 2025: Challenges and Opportunities in a Multipolar World was held at the MICC I here. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing — Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister — gave a keynote address.

Attendees included SAC Joint Secretary General Ye Win Oo, SAC members, union ministers and union level dignitaries, ambassadors of the diplomatic missions in Myanmar and officials, Nay Pyi Taw Council chair, senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, deputy ministers, international experts in geoeconomics and geopolitics, officials of political parties, local and foreign experts, officials of ministries, faculty members from military and civilian institutions of higher learning with international relations departments, as well as observers.

Foreign experts were brought in one by one at first. To open the forum, the Fine Arts Department of Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture performed a dance number to the tune of the song “Beautiful and lovely Myanmar”.

A video clip on “A new perspective for 2025 and Myanmar,” was watched together with the Senior General and the audience.

In his keynote address, the Senior General said the forum is a significant opportunity for constructing a better future of Myanmar and connecting with the global community.

However, the world we are living in today, with the emerging regionalism where regional organizations have a greater role than ever before, but we need polar, multipolar, and global world to form over this time. Stated simply, we are moving from globalization to regionalization.

For the speculation of world order for new age that we are having unlike earlier world order which led to almost control of global landscape by one power that transformed the geopolitics totally to end with the emergence of super power in its in every meaning and virtue still more and more groups are forming every where which is in various forms including group of countries and factions. As these collective powers unleash and exercise their power in the global stage, it can also be termed as a “New world order”.

The multifaceted development and rise of countries like China, India and Russia and those of the European Union is challenging the hegemony of some of the traditionally powerful countries of the past.

The hegemony of power and influence by a few nations contributes to the balance of global might, where global power is not unipolar anymore. There is no land to make a universally binding outcome, and everybody knows it.

These days problems of global dimensions are being resolved by ever enlarging clubs of nations. While powerful nations compete for revolution rather than solving problems.

It is a subtle current shifting from the bias of a single superpower monopoly, that involves competition and cooperation among major powers in the new world order, to equality, integration, peace and stability. As for the countries, they need to adopt strategies and prepare for leading the major transformation process from all its side beneficially and in fitting matter.

First, the strategic autonomy is needed. The nations must not become too reliant upon a super power, the relations expanding with the friend nations. Only then will decision making be flexible and the unnecessary pressures can be resisted from the synergic forces of the friends. The nations above are described as friends but the regional blocks are also referred to as friends.

When extending relation with the mates, it is always required to make the agreements that are going to grow in a retainable way. Ties shall further be deepened at economic, security and technological fronts. With respect to the economic relations specifically, we are all required to take ourselves to fit in the dynamic scenarios in the new world order.

In addition, we need to eliminate overreliance on a single market. Diversified regions need to be covered in trade relations. So that in order to minimized the losses that occur from the global disruption, the regional economic integration is a must. It is important to scale the participation to fortify regional supply chains. To safeguard the national interests, priority will be given to sectors such as food, energy and technology. And on top of that, the technology and the digital sovereignty are the two sectors which is worth the investment.

The technology became a comprehensive industry in the strife of the multi-polar world order. This can be particularly the high technologies such as Artificial Intelligence [AI], semiconductors and the cyber security are the determinant technologies. That said, preserving strategic technological partners to collaborate in areas such as artificial intelligence and digital economy is vital.

In this multipolar world, I believe we must be more dynamic and adaptable in our foreign policy, grounded in pragmatism. In friendships, we shouldn’t hold dogmatic ideas, nor should we have a set process— instead we’d like to have a context-oriented approach.

And perhaps most importantly, global institutions ought to be reforged and contact and engagement promoted.

Energy and resource securityAnother sector that merits serious consideration is energy and resource security. Access to the energy, water and the rare metals are becoming critical to sustainability. Hence we need to invest in solar energy, nuclear and other energy sector.

You will have to make arrangements to ensure that the Rare metals are supplied in adequate amount, there should not be any food security which can be cause of Geopolitical

Pursuant to socio–cultural domain, internal equilibrium is turning out to be imperative, as a result of the power shift in multipolar world. You must stand up against the fake news, master the craft of media propagation and combat foreign influence. The global economy immediately changes, and we have to invest on human resources to move with the flow for survival. I would like to point out that the work force is in desperate need of correct education and training.

In association with the suggestions and discussions by local and foreign experts having extensive experiences in China, India China, Russia, Thailand, Nepal, Japan and Italy, etc, it is expected that this forum will give guidance towards the right direction of Myanmar for development of a modern and developed nation after 2025. You Sages are to guide, way show and strategies for Myanmar.

And the international experts immediately can see for themselves the conditions in Myanmar. I would like you to see the real face of our country that is absolutely different from the image, distorted by so-called and perjured news and views.

The Myanmar people are quite keen on education. We collect all these feedbacks and consider it as constructive criticism for us. And I know the recommendations of the attendees will greatly benefit our nation.

This event is under the auspices of the Ministry of Information and hosted by the Myanmar Narrative Think Tank. “Given the potential gravitas of this forum at a crucial juncture for the country as it reorients to a changing world, the Forum comes at an opportune time to drive Myanmar’s development trajectory,” added Watanabe. We thank the Ministry of Information and the Myanmar Narrative Think Tank for their work in facilitating this important debate.

The results of this forum will hopefully form elements of constructive imagery to foundations of the future of Myanmar. Thanks are due to the local and international experts involved in the discussions. International scholars visiting the country are also wished to be able to add to their impression in positive about their stay in the beautiful natural landscape and climate conditions of Myanmar and the candor and friendliness of the people of Myanmar, thus helping boost Myanmar image and strengthening Myanmar friendship with international scholars.

Then, the Senior General spoke about the challenges and opportunities of the multipolar world for Myanmar after 2025. He added that as a geographically elongated country blessed with abundant and freshwater resources, climate diversity, unique natural resources as well as a 1,300-mile coast, Myanmar holds great advantages. Its strategic geography makes Myanmar a critical region for maritime commerce.

Myanmar, which they say borders five neighbouring countries, including the populous giants of China and India, and is a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia. Myanmar’s surrounding and neighbouring countries have a combined population of almost 4 billion, roughly 50 percent of the world’s total, and provide a large market place to export Myanmar’s goods. If you don’t use well the existing resources, you won’t know how useful they can be.

Since independence, the country has been plagued by internal armed dissidence. Burma, endowed with a suitable climate, vast agricultural lands, and good natural resources, has been a land of migration, a settlement of ethnic groups, both moderate and weak strength. It has also been a motherland where peoples and ethnicities have converged and coexisted.

The first was that during the colonial era the indigenous ethnic groups of the land, which were previously held together through the divide-and-rule structure of colonial administration, were broken up. These divisions were followed by the colonial powers (and their collaborators) turning to heaters and other crimes.

Furthermore, discrepancies inideology, ethnicity and political systems were amplified, incited and weaponized to intensify internal armed violence

Despite the successive governments attempt to establish internal peace but external motivation and interference has always been a reason for continuation of arms conflict which still remains a flame having no boundaries. As a result of these happenings, our country, despite the multitude of opportunities, has fallen behind in its progress. By having love for our motherland, love for the people and a spirit of Myanmar, we can turn these challenges into opportunities and accomplishments that are meaningful. Because without our unity, no economic system will thrive, no political system can lead steadfastly, and no social system will deliver abundance and peace of mind.

We are country where the economics is mainly centered around its agriculture and livestock industries. Hence, if agricultural products such as cotton and rubber, as well as rice, beans and other crops can be exported, they would have tremendous benefits to our country. This can be done if we are really working for the development of Agriculture based production industry. This implies that we need to work hard and focus on building and making progress on all of these sectors.

Human resources and investment are necessary for economic development. As reported in a 2014 census, the country has a population of about 51 million and a lot of needs are observed in the educational sector. Efforts were made to reform and upgrade basic understandable education system while advanced education systems of the world are being adapted as educated human resources are need of the manufacturing industry of the nation.

Meanwhile, agriculture, livestock breeding and technical high schools were opened across the country, and more polytechnic universities are in plan to be opened in six regions and states.

When only stability is ensured, it is necessary to give guarantees for investment businesses that can attract foreign investments. Only then, the GDP will grow and the country will prosper. Bakhtawar said “serious efforts” are being made to adopt the multi-party democracy system “suitable” to Pakistan and desired by its people. The national races will be taken appropriate action to carry out their wishes in accordance with the law. Our country lies between two different great powers. So the country is pursuing an independent and active and nonaligned foreign policy.” Our nation has both opportunities and challenges ahead. And to ensure the progress of the country, one must try by any means to overcome these difficulties. Finally, I would like to make a humble request to the Myanmar citizens to add more values to Mera Maung for the betterment of the country.

Then the Senior General delivered commemorative medals to foreign scholars attending the discussions.

After that, artists from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture entertained the audiences with music and dances “May you have happiness and peace of mind.”

Then the Senior General poses for the documentary photos with the attendees and looked at the documentary photos on display.

On the forum, a number of geoeconomic an geopolitic experts will have discussions under three topics, including “Myanmar and Asia’s Role in Changing Multipolar World”, “Geoeconomic Challenges and Opportunities of Myanmar in the Multipolar World Beyond 2025” and “Geopolitical Challenges and Promising Opportunities of Myanmar in the Multipolar World Beyond 2025” from China, Russia, India, Japan, Thailand, Italy and Nepal and local experts.

The forum hopes to bring up the awareness of the international community on the ongoing situation of the country alongside political changes of the country for Myanmar with understanding, kindness and sympathy, on false accusations against Myanmar and enhancing the image of the country, on challenges and opportunities arising in the fluctuating global environment in 2025 including a multipolar world environment, and how to prepare ahead of time for them.