India rolls out welcome mat for Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing

_Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing’s first trip to India since being sworn in as president signals New Delhi’s recognition of the strongman’s political status as it seeks to counter mounting Chinese influence, according to analysts.The five-day visit, which began on Saturday at the personal invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is aimed at strengthening ties with one of Myanmar’s key regional partners.Despite Western sanctions imposed after the February 2021 coup, India has maintained working relations with Myanmar’s generals due to the country’s strategic importance to Delhi’s own security.Hunter Marston, director for Southeast Asia at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, said the invitation represented “a de facto recognition of the strongman’s political status”, noting that the two leaders met last April on the sidelines of the Bimstec summit in Bangkok.“The only difference is that now Delhi has no pretence of engaging Min Aung Hlaing as the leader of Myanmar’s new government and doesn’t seem to care about the optics,” Marston said.