1. Bengladesh and Myanmar (like Pak) could offer chinese naval access in Indian Ocean (Chittacong and others ports) like Gwadar in Pakistan coastline.
2. Myanmar has big oil reserve (French Total and others wester companies + chinese oil Cies) and pipeline toward southern China is a significative project in these days.
3. Myanmar proposes to build a pipeline toward India VIA bengladesh territory.
4. These 2 minor states are important for the regional evolution because they could be a valuable link between China and India, like Pakistan between Iran and India.
5. Pakistan (since Musharraf) and India (since Singh...
) are very active in oil/gaz projects with Iran and Turkmenistan + Afghanistan (to re-activate the "Unocal project"). Remember Oil/gaz links in History are often "peacemaker links" (the recent Russian-Japanese oil link near Vladivostok and Nakhodka could be a good exemple) because they are physic and permament "silk roads".
6. Pakistan is a chinese ally (with the ambigious us-pak partenership !
) and Iran is the new good friend of Russia and China (see the actual nuclear dialogue). Iran is important for India because of its oil and gaz exports....
China wants create an "alternative axis" with states members of the "Axis of Evil and Co." : Venezuela, Iran, Myanmar, Angola and Soudan (Petro-gaz States !!!!) + Bengladesh, Pakistan and Nepal in South Asia + Thailand in the way to "contain" the rise of strategic Vietnam-US good relations + Brazil which is not a good friend of GW Bush's Government + Ouzbekistan (and perhaps Tadjikistan and Kirghizstan in the future).
China (Russia helps it !) tries to keep India "cool and sweety". The new "partnership" with USA is too recent to be permanent and stable.
Hot Peace (or "friendship neutrality") between India and Pak is better for them than Nuclear and Terrorist Cold War (Cachemire, Kargil and Nukes), especially in Energy needs...
