If China and the US agree on one thing it is that Burma is unstable and potentially dangerous.

According to an August 2004 embassy cable released by Wikileaks, the government of Burma has been building nuclear and missile sites deep underground with the help of the North Koreans.

“The North Koreans, aided by Burmese workers, are constructing a concrete-reinforced underground facility that is ‘500ft from the top of the cave to the top of the hill above’,” the cable reads.

The cable sites an unnamed Burmese expatriate who turned into an American agent.

Burma had previously signed an agreement with Russia to construct a reactor for civilian energy, but that project has been stalled for years.

In a second cable, a Burmese businessman offered to sell the American embassy in Rangoon a supply of uranium, which the embassy agreed to buy.

Another cable shows that the Chinese government was starting to get frustrated with Burma/Myanmar over its instability and resistance to modernization.

A North Korean-built nuclear reactor in Burma would violate international law and present a significant security concern in the region.

About The Author

John Guilfoil is the editor-in-chief of Blast: Boston's Online Magazine and the Blast Magazine Network. He can be reached at [email protected]. Tweet @johnguilfoil.

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