"The energy security concerns of Thailand, India and China greatly determine their relations with Myanmar. In principle, India and China have pledged to cooperate in the field of energy security in order to avoid costly rivalries. In practice, however, commentators expect that the two oilimporting giants will find it more or less impossible to avoid such rivalries. In relation to Myanmar, this seems difficult indeed. The immediate issue is competition between India and China over building a pipeline to transport natural gas from Shwe, a gas field off the coast of Myanmar’s Arakan state. In March 2007, it became clear that China will further consolidate its ties with Myanmar by building a gas pipeline from the Burmese coast to Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province. India’s pipeline plans, negotiated for several years, were finally rejected by the Burmese regime. A South Korean offer to construct a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Myanmar was also turned down. The Chinese plans include an oil pipeline as well, probably running parallel to the gas pipeline and intended to carry Persian Gulf crude oil shipped by tanker to a connecting Burmese port facility. This makes sense considering the oft-cited Chinese argument that an oil pipeline through Myanmar will enhance China’s energy security by serving as an alternative oil supply route bypassing the Strait of Malacca, a waterway of crucial importance for the provision of oil and other necessities to China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan..."