Explainer | What happens to Myanmar if the US imposes new sanctions?
- The Southeast Asian country is no stranger to restrictions from foreign powers, so will fresh ones make any difference?
- Unrest in Myanmar could spook Chinese investors, observer says
But what might that mean for the Southeast Asian country?
Has Myanmar ever faced sanctions before?
The US first imposed sanctions on the country formerly known as Burma in 1998 after the military there violently suppressed a protest. These were tightened over the following decades because of what Washington regarded as human rights violations by the ruling junta.
The restrictions were gradually eased in response to reforms by Myanmar President Thein Sein and the release of Suu Kyi, and lifted by former US president Barack Obama in 2016.
In 2019, former US president Donald Trump introduced new sanctions against Myanmar’s military leaders, including commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing, over the extrajudicial killings of Rohingya Muslims.
What was the effect of the restrictions?
Economic sanctions, including reductions in financial aid, blocking access to assets and reversing investment flows, caused “comprehensive harm” to Myanmar, according to Heng Kai, a postdoctoral fellow at Xiamen University.
