Myanmar’s military coup has become Asia’s most significant political development in 2021 so far. In many ways, the coup brought back memories of times long gone – Aung San Suu Kyi, who has marked another landslide victory in the November 2020 general election, was swiftly detained by the military allegedly for the possession of illegally imported walkie-talkies. The Aung San-allied President Win Myint was ousted under the pretext of him breaching the country’s coronavirus laws during the pre-election campaign meetings. Briefly put, Myanmar’s brief self-democratizing drive was defeated after a little more than 5 years of non-military rule. Although one would rarely see Myanmar on the list of major oil and gas producers, the Southeast Asian plays an instrumental role for China’s energy security.
