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Description: " Myanmar's Yangon Region Investment Committee (YRIC) recently approved 16 foreign investment businesses for the region, according to the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) late Saturday. A total of 28.507 million U.S. dollars of foreign investments from China, Seychelles and Estonia as well as 3 billion Kyats (2 million U.S. dollars) from one local enterprise engaged the region's manufacturing sector and other services, creating over 8,900 job opportunities for local citizens. Yangon region absorbs 60 percent of country's investment from both home and abroad, followed by Mandalay region with 30 percent and the rest flows into other regions and states. Myanmar attracted over 20.8 billion U.S. dollars' foreign investments as of Jan 31, the first four months of the current fiscal year 2019-2020, according to the DICA's figures. The new Myanmar Companies Law which started to enforce on Aug. 1, 2018 allows foreign investors to take up 35 percent in local companies. Under the new companies law, investment with capital not exceeding 5 million U.S. dollars can be permitted by regional and states authorities of the DICA..."
Source/publisher: "Xinhua" (China)
2020-02-23
Date of entry/update: 2020-02-24
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Sub-title: A state-owned Chinese firm has expressed interest to invest in the planned Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Tanintharyi Region, U Myint San, vice chair of Dawei SEZ Management Committee, told The Myanmar Times.
Description: "The Myanmar government has yet to respond to the Chinese, given that talks to develop the SEZ with Italian-Thai Development Company Ltd (ITD) as well as the Thai and Japanese governments are at advanced stages. However, analysts aren’t ruling out the possibility. “Dawei SEZ has taken a long time to take shape and isn’t going as planned. As we don’t have the funds to implement it, if the current investors cannot develop the project effectively, then Chinese companies are our only options,” said U Zaw Win Pe, a local analyst and former economic adviser to parliament. “We’ll complete negotiations with the ITD first. If we cannot agree to the terms of the project, we can cancel the contract when it expires. I think the Chinese have the capacity to develop this project, but we’ll have to wait and see if ITD would be able to do it within the specified period,” U Zaw Win Pe added. The Chinese are expected to reap strategic benefits if they win Dawei SEZ. “China is already developing the Kyauk Phyu SEZ in Rakhine State. China is building a bullet train route from Kunming, China to Bangkok in Thailand. If they can connect that route to Dawei SEZ, it will be a great achievement for China. If China wins [Dawei SEZ], they will connect this route,” U Myint San said..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
2020-02-20
Date of entry/update: 2020-02-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Irrespective of India’s Look East, US sanctions or UK sanctions in Myanmar, China has been out there in Myanmar, parked with a consistent policy and focus—and backed by economic muscle. When the mighty fall, they fall hard! What greater irony than witness the beacon of democracy, Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, defend the country’s military against genocide (of the Rohingya people, a Muslim minority) at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, and inch towards China’s orbit? Over the last decade, Myanmar has been open to the West, to India and the larger neighbourhood. Pragmatically speaking, because of the Rohingya issue, the ensuing sanctions and the clampdown by the West, Myanmar sees an economic lifeline in China. But China aside, Myanmar will continue to hedge its bets with other countries. The talk of Myanmar gravitating towards China’s orbit has emerged following President Xi Jinping’s two-day trip to Myanmar, a ‘historical moment’, as Xi called it. The trip, the first in 19 years by a Chinese leader, visibly shored up China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Myanmar, with 33 China-Myanmar deals inked through memorandums of understanding (MoU) and agreements. Xi also met military chief General Min Aung Hlaing, singled out for sanctions by the US for the abuses against the Rohingyas..."
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Source/publisher: "The Financial Express" (Uttar Pradesh)
2020-02-01
Date of entry/update: 2020-02-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Transparency must be improved and deep concerns addressed, says former presidential adviser Aung Tun Thet...A raft of infrastructure deals have just been signed, including for a strategically important deep-sea port project.
Description: "Chinese companies need to improve transparency when they invest in Myanmar, a former presidential adviser in the Southeast Asian nation said, after the two sides signed a slew of infrastructure deals. Deep public concerns in Myanmar, especially over Beijing’s intentions in the country, must also be addressed, Aung Tun Thet told the South China Morning Post. “It’s very important that people understand, because what has happened in the past is people do not know what went on, and because they don’t know, then they get worried,” said the prominent economist in Myanmar and adviser to former president Thein Sein. “They get worried not because they object to anything, they get worried because they don’t know what is going on,” he said. “I think a lot of work needs to be done to convince the general population … that it is for the good of the country and it’s good for the people.”..."
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Source/publisher: "South China Morning Post" (Hong Kong)
2020-01-28
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-29
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Description: "The flags of China and Myanmar waved side by side along the roads of Myanmar’s capital city over the weekend, as Chinese Paramount Leader Xi Jinping visited the Buddhist-majority nation to draw it more tightly into China’s orbit. “Let us work hand in hand to build an even closer China-Myanmar community with a shared future and write a new chapter for our millennia-old ‘pauk-phaw’ friendship,” Xi wrote in Myanmar’s Myanma Alinn Daily on the eve of his trip, using a phrase meaning “fraternal” in the Burmese language. Xi’s “hand in hand” work with Myanmar’s leadership over the following two days resulted in the signing of 33 agreements that will accelerate construction of infrastructure projects related to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. This is the project China brands as a 21st-century version of the ancient Silk Road, to facilitate trade across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. The most notable Myanmar-based bri projects are a railway running from China to Kyaukpyu on Myanmar’s west coast, and a full-scale operational deep-sea port there..."
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Source/publisher: "The Trumpet" (USA)
2020-01-22
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-23
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Topic: Rakhine State, Myitsone Dam, Myanmar, Xi Jinping
Topic: Rakhine State, Myitsone Dam, Myanmar, Xi Jinping
Description: "A high-speed rail line to the east, a deep-sea port to the west, and a makeover for commercial heart Yangon -- Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrives in Myanmar on Friday laden with investment pledges worth billions which could reshape the country. Here are five of the main projects -- and some of the issues plaguing them: The crown jewel of Xi's two-day visit will be a $1.3 billion deep-sea port off Myanmar's troubled western Rakhine state. The Kyaukphyu port will serve as Beijing's gateway to the Indian Ocean. Myanmar has successfully hammered down the price from $7.2 billion to swerve fears of a Chinese debt-trap, but will still pick up 30 percent of the bill. Alongside the port, swathes of paddy fields and teak forests are poised to be transformed into a vast industrial zone of garment and food processing factories. Officials insist ethnic Rakhine will be the first in line for some of the 400,000 jobs the zone is slated to bring -- but many suspect the benefits will mainly be siphoned off outside the state. The port is the centre piece of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) project -- a key thread in China's global Belt and Road vision..."
Source/publisher: "The Economic Times" (India)
2020-01-15
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: agreements, Belt and Road initiative, BRI, China, China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, CMEC, infrastructure projects, Investment, President Xi Jinping, visit
Topic: agreements, Belt and Road initiative, BRI, China, China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, CMEC, infrastructure projects, Investment, President Xi Jinping, visit
Description: "Chinese President Xi Jinping will land in Naypyitaw, the capital of Myanmar, on Friday looking to secure more agreements on key strategic projects under the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), a part of China’s ambitious infrastructure plan for the region. Xi will be the first Chinese president to visit China’s southern neighbor in nearly two decades. During his trip on Jan. 17-18, the two countries are expected to sign dozens of agreements, paving the way for the implementation of the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ), a key strategic component of the CMEC, and border economic cooperation zones, road upgrade projects, promotion of trade relations, and social and economic development assistance. The 1,700-kilometer-long CMEC will start in Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan Province, go through Myanmar’s major economic cities—Mandalay in central Myanmar and the commercial capital of Yangon—and reach the coast at the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Rakhine State. Here, The Irrawaddy looks at six projects slated for implementation this year and which require careful monitoring due to ethnic conflicts, local disagreements, and social and environmental impacts—including the controversial Myitsone Dam project, on which a final decision could be made during Xi’s trip..."
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Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
2020-01-13
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Chinese investments historically dominated Myanmar’s foreign direct investment landscape. Some projects are government-to-government initiatives while others were won through tenders. Observers say Myanmar should diversify its partners in strategic sectors such as electricity for more sustainable development. Apart from financial matters, Myanmar’s government should take into account security issues,” said Daw Khin Khin Kyaw of the Institute for Strategy and Policy. She said that tenders should be conducted more transparently and not pushed through in a hurry. Under Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, the two countries have looked into ways to work together through the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor scheme and moving ahead with the proposed Kyaukphyu port, the Yangon “New City” development and the Muse-Mandalay railway project. Meanwhile, China Harbour Engineering Co, supported by China Communication and Construction Co as adviser, recently won a US$100 million tender to construct the Gote Hteik Bridge under a build, own and operate agreement..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
2020-01-13
Date of entry/update: 2020-01-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "China and Myanmar pledged on Saturday to strengthen communication and high-level exchanges, according to a meeting held between Myanmar's State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi and visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wang said in light of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations next year, China and Myanmar should hold a series of celebrations, plan and prepare for high-level exchanges, comprehensively push forward cooperation in areas including economy, trade, people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Wang said China and Myanmar should also carry forward the "Paukphaw" (fraternal) friendship, deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and jointly build a community of shared future. Wang said China is willing to promote China-Myanmar Economic Corridor from concept and plan into substantial implementation and build it into a flagship program of joint construction of the Belt and Road between the two countries. Wang said infrastructure connectivity is framework of China-Myanmar Economic Corridor and the two sides should cooperate on pressing forward projects including Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone and border economic cooperation zones. Wang stressed that China always upholds democratization of international relations, advocates equality among countries, opposes interference in internal affairs of other countries, and disapproves of complicating bilateral issues by involving more parties..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Xinhua" (China)
2019-12-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-10
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Description: "Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Min Aung Hlaing here on Sunday, with both sides agreeing to strengthen economic cooperation and speed up peace process in northern Myanmar. Lauding the Myanmar army as an important force in preserving the country's peace and stability as well as the friendship between China and Myanmar, Wang said the exchanges between the armed forces of the two countries represent an important part of "Paukphaw" (fraternal) friendship. China is willing to take the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year as an opportunity to jointly push forward the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, build a community of shared future with the Myanmar government and army, so as to push bilateral relations into a new era, he noted. Wang said the peace and reconciliation process in northern Myanmar is significant to the country's social and economic development, hoping that Myanmar continues to stick to political dialogue and firmly carry on peace talks. China will as always maintain close contact with Myanmar and play a constructive role in promoting the peace talks, Wang said. He called on all relevant parties to continue to show restraint, maintain the ceasefire and sign a ceasefire agreement at an early date. The two sides should also strengthen cooperation in the control and management of border areas to ensure peace and stability at China-Myanmar border areas, he added..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Xinhua" (China)
2019-12-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Myanmar pins hopes on brand new city to entice foreign investment and jobs, but must respond to concerns about transparency and sea-level rise
Description: "It’s summer and Yangon is scorching hot. The hotel air-conditioning shuts down as it does several times a day due to electricity shortages. Shops and apartment buildings fire up growling diesel generators whose fumes mix poisonously with the exhaust of the second-hand Japanese cars streaming past. I’m waiting for a ferry at Pansodan pier in the south of the city. Behind me is Yangon’s “Bund”, a row of colonial-era commercial and administrative buildings. In front is the Yangon river, whose waters flow gently, if a little murkily. On the other bank I can see the township of Dala. The view is flat and rural, a stark contrast to Yangon’s bustling cityscape. Reaching Dala, I take a motorbike westwards, crossing the Twante canal via a steel bridge with an unpaved surface that makes the wheels skid. Farmers are transplanting rice in plots either side of the road. It’s countryside the whole way. ’ve come to see the area where a new city is being planned. Dubbed Myanmar’s Shenzhen, “New Yangon City” will cover 80km2 west of the Yangon river. Although only separated from the old city by the river, the area is relatively cut off. The only direct route is via the ferry to Dala..."
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Source/publisher: Chinadialogue (London/Beijing)
2019-11-29
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "A China Agritech and Engineering Machinery Brand Show kicked off in Myanmar's Yangon Friday. Sponsored by the China's Ministry of Commerce, the three-day show will last until Sunday. The show occupies 3,000 square meters' space with 76 booths displaying products of companies from Shandong, Yunnan, Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces. The show is attached with agriculture-related forum. Speaking at the opening of the show, Zhang Jing from Foreign Trade Development Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, noted that China's cooperation with Myanmar in building "Belt and Road" and economic corridor in recent years was in steady progress. China is not only Myanmar's largest investor but also a top trading partner representing the biggest export market, she said, placing emphasis on agricultural cooperation with Myanmar..."
Source/publisher: "Xinhua" (China)
2019-11-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-30
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Sub-title: Winding through many of the areas of conflict in Myanmar’s areas dominated by ethnic minorities, the China Myanmar Economic Corridor may spark off more fighting, writes Nicholas Lo
Description: "A year ago, Myanmar and China signed an agreement to establish the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), as part of China’s Belt and Road global infrastructure initiative. Today, that corridor is mired in conflict between the Myanmar military and ethnic armed groups. Stretching 1,700 kilometres, the CMEC’s network of new railways, trade zones and other major infrastructure projects is meant to mesh the comparatively impoverished economy of Myanmar with its wealthier neighbour’s landlocked southern province of Yunnan. However, ongoing armed conflict and lingering resentment against Chinese investments mean the future of the CMEC is uncertain. Since its transition to semi-civilian rule in 2011, Myanmar has proven to be more cautious with Chinese investments than other developing countries. In August 2018, Myanmar officials negotiated an 80% cost reduction to the proposed Kyaukphyu deep-sea port, trimming the project from over USD 7 billion to USD 1.3 billion, Reuters reported. The Myanmar side, led by deputy finance minister Set Aung, baulked at the risk of an excessive debt burden. This mindset has extended to new CMEC deals, where Myanmar officials have successfully set out conditions for major Chinese investments, insisting on the right to open tenders and the ability to seek international financing. So far, out of 38 projects proposed by China for the CMEC, Myanmar’s government has approved nine..."
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Source/publisher: "The Third Pole"
2019-11-26
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-27
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Description: "On the western bank of the muddy Hlaing River, development and prosperity is a distant view. It can be seen across the expanse of water in the rising apartment blocks, office buildings and grinding industry. Over there is Yangon proper, a city of some six million people and the economic hub of Myanmar. Over here is a simpler life of small villages, struggling rice fields and roads as bumpy as local prospects. But both the landscape and the outlook of the population on the western bank are set for dramatic change in the coming years. A mega project is planned on this land, a new metropolis to be powered by Chinese money. The New Yangon City project is an ambitious and controversial idea in its early conception days. The grand vision of Yangon’s regional government, which created the New Yangon City Development Company (NYDC) in March last year to partner with a Chinese state investment firm, is to build a brand new smart and “liveable” city with a population of 1.2 million people by 2050..."
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Source/publisher: "CNA" ( Singapore)
2019-11-23
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-23
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Description: "The Arakan Army (AA)/United League of Arakan (ULA), has said it welcomes foreign investors, including Chinese investment in large-scale infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in western Myanmar’s underdeveloped Rakhine state, where it is fighting the national military for greater autonomy and self-determination, RFA reported. The group’s political wing, the United League of Arakan (ULA), said in a statement dated July 18 that it approved of governments and institutions that want to establish mutually beneficial projects such as the China-based deep sea port and Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone under the BRI. The ULA is “prepared to work hand in hand with the organizations and individuals working for multi-sectoral development,” the statement said..."
Source/publisher: "Mizzima" (Myanmar)
2019-07-24
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: While Western investors have shied away due to human rights violations related to the northern Rakhine crisis, Chinese and Japanese investors showed visible interest in the state at the Rakhine Investment Fair on February 22.
Description: "State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who attended the fair, said economic development could be the answer to much of Rakhine State’s woes, where communal conflict in recent years has turned away investors and damaged growth. With a political solution difficult to achieve under the circumstances, the government believes that developing the state’s economy may be one way of lessening the conflict between communities and eventually ending it. Rakhine Chief Minister U Nyi Pu said at the fair that economic development supported by local and foreign investors was “the best solution for sustainable peace and development in the state”. More than 700,000 Muslims fled northern Rakhine to Bangladesh since late 2017 after a crackdown by the military, which followed attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. Almost all of those who fled are still living in border refugee camps. In light of the alleged atrocities in the region, the UN-mandated Fact-finding Mission on Myanmar (UNFFM) recommended that companies ensure their operations are compliant with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) when conducting business in Rakhine..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times"
2019-03-03
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: air, backbone projects, Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar, BCIM, Belt and Road initiative, biodiversity, BRI, China, China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group, China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, CITIC, Climate Change, CMEC, CNICO, Development, economic benefit, endangered species, Environment, Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, ESIA, Forests, Global Warming, growth, Infrastructure, Investment, Irrawaddy River, Kyaukphyu, land grabbing, Letpadaung Taung copper mine, mega projects, Muse-Mandalay Railway, Natural Resources, noise pollution, oil and gas pipeline, Pollution, port, Protest, Railway, sea, SEZ, social impact, Special Economic Zone, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Wanbao Mining Company, Water
Topic: air, backbone projects, Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar, BCIM, Belt and Road initiative, biodiversity, BRI, China, China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group, China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, CITIC, Climate Change, CMEC, CNICO, Development, economic benefit, endangered species, Environment, Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, ESIA, Forests, Global Warming, growth, Infrastructure, Investment, Irrawaddy River, Kyaukphyu, land grabbing, Letpadaung Taung copper mine, mega projects, Muse-Mandalay Railway, Natural Resources, noise pollution, oil and gas pipeline, Pollution, port, Protest, Railway, sea, SEZ, social impact, Special Economic Zone, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Wanbao Mining Company, Water
Description: "With more and more Chinese investment flowing into the country, many key government officials are speaking out in support of the projects, which range from a high-speed railway line to special economic zones to seaports. At several local investment forums, they have voiced the view that China’s grand infrastructure projects will bring economic development to Myanmar and economic benefits to local people, while boosting the country’s strategic importance in the region. But what they have so far failed to mention is the possible environmental and social impacts of the projects on host communities. They rarely talk about how the projects threaten biodiversity, protected forests and natural water resources. Faced with this official silence, experts and activists worry aloud about land confiscations, influxes of migrants, loss of livelihoods and air, water and noise pollution in the project areas. Massive project-related activities are now being implemented under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework in Myanmar, following the signing last year of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China to establish the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC)..."
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Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
2019-11-19
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: New rules threaten to prevent locals from capitalizing on the state’s coming gold rush
Description: "Aung Gyi is forced to fish covertly under the shroud of night in western Myanmar waters as China bids to transform the strategically key region into a shipping and industrial hub, squeezing out locals who fear being left behind in the gold rush. Myanmar has declared Rakhine state, associated by many worldwide with the military’s 2017 bloody crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, open for business but locals fear they are being left out of the gold rush as new rules restrict traditional practices. Paddies and teak forests will be flattened for a colossal Beijing-backed factory zone and deep-sea port, which will serve as its neighboring giant’s gateway to the Indian Ocean. But the state’s promise for development comes with fishing restrictions – the waterways have been freed up for Chinese ships – a situation that has devastated local lives and livelihoods. “I might be beaten or arrested” if caught fishing illegally, Aung Gyi says as he lays shrimp out to dry by his dilapidated shack in a small fishing hamlet near the town of Kyaukphyu..."
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Source/publisher: "Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
2019-11-17
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-17
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Description: " Myanmar has approved eight more projects in five sectors in a latest scrutiny of submitted foreign investment projects, according to the Myanmar Investment Commission on Sunday. The investment projects worth a total of 232.21 million U.S. dollars were granted at Saturday's meeting of the commission in Yangon. These projects are in the sectors of manufacturing, real estate, service, livestock and fishery which will create over 1,700 job opportunities. According to the commission's statistics, by the end of October, Myanmar received the investment mainly from Singapore, China and Thailand in three top sectors with oil and gas accounting for 27.29 percent, power sector 25.77 percent and manufacturing sector 14.04 percent. In October, the commission had given green light to eight investment projects from home and abroad which were worth a total of 384.48 million U.S. dollars. Those projects, scattered in real estate, education service, agriculture and manufacturing sectors, were designed to create 33,279 local employment opportunities..."
Source/publisher: "Xinhua" (China)
2019-11-17
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-17
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Description: "Dozens of newly built villas line a street as concrete skeletons of what may become hotels or casinos stand half-finished nearby. A new paved roadway allows access to more than a dozen boxy two-story buildings still under construction opposite plots of cleared land streaked with muddy tire tracks. Farther along the road, about 30 warehouse-type buildings with blue roofs stand at attention beside a river, while in the distance villagers’ small homes dot lush green fields. The Chinese-backed U.S. $15 billion real estate mega-project along the Thaungyin River in southeastern Myanmar’s Kayin state has been dubbed Shwe Kokko “Chinatown” by locals. It sits about 12 miles away from the state capital Myawaddy, and a 10-minute drive to the Thai town of Mae Sot. Shwe Kokko is the latest manifestation of China’s growing presence in the Southeast Asian country through its Belt and Road Initiative to connect the country with the rest of the region and beyond. And it's moving ahead at full throttle despite heavy criticism from ethnic Karen locals who object to what they see as Chinese encroachment upon their land, livelihoods, and culture..."
Source/publisher: "Radio Free Asia (RFA)" (USA)
2019-11-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: myanmar, factory, investment, trade war
Topic: myanmar, factory, investment, trade war
Description: "Myanmar expects to attract more investment as manufacturers seeking to relocate production from China to skirt US tariffs encounter capacity constraints in Vietnam. The Southeast Asian nation, whose goal is to woo a total of $5.8 billion in foreign-direct investment this year, is trying to cut back the red tape that deters some companies, according to a senior government official. “When it comes to relocation, Vietnam might be preferable, but it’s already congested,” said Aung Naing Oo, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations. “So, investors are now eyeing Indonesia and Myanmar.” One advantage for Myanmar -- where about a third of the population lives in poverty -- is that Europe and the US offer preferential export terms to boost growth, according to Aung Naing Oo. At the same time, the $71 billion economy continues to face traditional obstacles such as insufficient supplies of electricity and industrial land..."
Source/publisher: "Bloomberg News" (New York) via "Bangkok Post" (Thailand)
2019-11-11
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "China is rebranding and repackaging dormant or delayed projects in Myanmar under the banner of its Belt and Road Initiative, many of whose projects lack transparency and consultation with affected communities, according to the latest policy brief by a Netherlands-based research and advocacy institute. Stephanie Olinga-Shannon, a planning and evaluation coordinator for the Transitional Institute (TNI) who also researches Chinese foreign policy for the organization, said, “Rather than a ‘grand strategy’, the BRI is a broad and loosely governed framework of activities seeking to address a crisis in Chinese capitalism.” “Almost any activities, implemented by any actor in any place can be included under the BRI framework and branded as a BRI project in Myanmar,” Olinga-Shannon said. The BRI allows Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and provincial governments to promote their own projects to pursue profit and economic growth, she added..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
2019-11-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: The naming of the bilateral projects with Nepal coincided with Beijing dropping the BCIM or the Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar Corridor from the BRI projects’ list.
Description: "China is shoring-up its connectivity projects with Nepal and Myanmar, including a trans-Himalayan network, a cross-border railway venture and an economic corridor under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network, including the Nepal-China cross-border railway, have been named under the list of projects under the BRI. The naming of the bilateral projects with Nepal coincided with Beijing dropping the BCIM or the Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar Corridor from the BRI projects’ list. Instead, China has now named the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor under the BRI, an indication that Beijing will go ahead with infrastructure projects in south Asia bilaterally. Simultaneously, visiting Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandari said in Beijing that the BRI is offering new opportunities for Nepal and she hopes Chinese investors and enterprises can invest more in Nepal..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Hindustan Times " (India)
2019-04-29
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: China’s new infrastructure corridor through Myanmar crosses war-torn regions, risking further conflict and environmental degradation
Description: "A year ago, Myanmar and China signed an agreement to establish the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), as part of China’s Belt and Road global infrastructure initiative. Today, that corridor is mired in conflict between the Myanmar military and ethnic armed groups. Stretching 1,700km, the CMEC’s network of new railways, trade zones and other major infrastructure projects is meant to mesh the comparatively impoverished economy of Myanmar with its wealthier neighbour’s landlocked southern province of Yunnan. However, ongoing armed conflict and lingering resentment against Chinese investments mean the future of the CMEC is uncertain. Since its transition to semi-civilian rule in 2011, Myanmar has proven to be more cautious with Chinese investments than other developing countries. In August 2018, Myanmar officials negotiated an 80% cost reduction to the proposed Kyaukphyu deep-sea port, trimming the project from over US$7 billion to US$1.3 billion, Reuters reported. The Myanmar side, led by deputy finance minister Set Aung, baulked at the risk of an excessive debt burden..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Chinadialogue" (China)
2019-10-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: China, international relations, foreign investment, conflict, Belt and Road Initiative, China Myanmar Economic Corridor, Sun Guoxiang, ethnic issues, development
Sub-title: Recurring conflict and military stalemate in northern Myanmar have prompted China to embark on a bold experiment – one with implications that Nay Pyi Taw might not yet even comprehend.
Topic: China, international relations, foreign investment, conflict, Belt and Road Initiative, China Myanmar Economic Corridor, Sun Guoxiang, ethnic issues, development
Description: "WHEN VIEWING the domestic conflicts of a sovereign nation, China sees development and stability as two mutually reinforcing concepts. Instead of focusing on the fair and just distribution of political and economic rights, China prioritises making the economic pie larger so that everyone gets a bigger share. This approach reflects China’s own experiences in strengthening political stability through economic development. Enhanced economic performance validates the legitimacy of the state and improves stability, which in turn creates conditions for further economic development. This development-oriented approach towards conflict resolution has resulted in northern Myanmar’s conflicts becoming intrinsic components of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, The rationale China has been formally involved in the mediation of ethnic conflicts in northern Myanmar since early 2013, when it established the office of Special Envoy for Asian Affairs. Six years of mediation in Myanmar – during which there has been no agreement over the mechanisms and structure of the peace process, or the distribution of political and economic power in the ethnic states – has shepherded the Chinese to a few key conclusions. First, the complicated history and the fundamental lack of trust between the Bamar-dominated central government and ethnic minorities means it is not feasible to open negotiations on the most difficult issues, particularly power distribution. In this climate of mistrust and hostility, it is unrealistic to expect elites on both sides to make the concessions necessary for a peace deal..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
2019-10-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Topic: Belt and Road initiative, BRI, China, China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, CMEC, debt trap, economic zone, Human Rights, Kachin State, land grabs, Myitkyina, Myitkyina Economic Development Zone, neo-colonialism, property rights, Yunnan Tengchong Heng Yong Investment Company
Topic: Belt and Road initiative, BRI, China, China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, CMEC, debt trap, economic zone, Human Rights, Kachin State, land grabs, Myitkyina, Myitkyina Economic Development Zone, neo-colonialism, property rights, Yunnan Tengchong Heng Yong Investment Company
Description: "The Kachin State government is planning to sign an agreement next month on the establishment of a China-backed economic zone, paving the way for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project. Under the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) agreement, which is also a part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s grand BRI vision, Kachin State signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Yunnan Tengchong Heng Yong Investment Company (YTHIC) in May 2018 for implementation of the Myitkyina Economic Development Zone. The project, also known as the Namjim Industrial Zone, is 25 km from Myitkyina, the Kachin capital. “We are expected to sign an agreement next month,” the Kachin State chief minister, Dr. Khet Aung, told The Irrawaddy. “Currently, we are finalizing detailed negotiations and a full master plan from the Chinese company.” YTHIC and the Myitkyina zone committee, formed by the Kachin State government, are expected to build the massive site on approximately 19 sq. km along the historic Ledo Road. The road was built during World War II so the Allies could supply Chinese troops fighting the Japanese. It linked Ledo, in Indian Assam, and Kunming in China’s Yunnan Province..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
2019-10-07
Date of entry/update: 2019-10-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) Friday approved six more investment projects from home and abroad, said a release from the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA). Investment capital of over 143.9 million U.S. dollars and 2 billion kyats (1.8 million U.S. dollars) from the permitted projects entered the country's livestock, manufacturing, hotel and tourism, other services and mining sectors. The projects will create 1,083 employment opportunities for local people, the DICA's release said. Meanwhile, 1,806 foreign enterprises with over 81.59 billion U.S. dollars were permitted by the MIC from the fiscal year 1988-1989 to present fiscal year 2018-2019. During the period, oil and gas, power and manufacturing sectors are in the top-three list with most foreign investments and Singapore, China and Thailand are the leading investors. Regionally, the Yangon region attracted 60 percent of investments from both home and abroad, followed by Mandalay with 30 percent and the rest flowed into other regions and states..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Xinhua" (China)
2019-09-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Sub-title: The governments of China and Myanmar are negotiating to draw up a five-year plan on economic and trade cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, a global development strategy adopted by the Chinese government involving infrastructure development and
Description: "Negotiations to draw up the plan were held in Nay Pyi Taw on Monday, the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations announced. The idea for the plan was first put forward during the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing in April. The forum in April was attended by State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar’s delegation for the negotiation was led by U Aung Naing, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Relations, while China’s team was headed by Mr Wang Shengwen, director general of China’s Department of Outward Investment and Economic Cooperation. Some 70 representatives from relevant ministries and organisations from both countries were also present for the talks..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times" (Myanmar)
2019-09-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-27
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "MUCH HAS been said and written about the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor since it was formally proposed by China in November 2017 as part of its global Belt and Road Initiative. Despite gaining significant international attention – and generating some uneasiness within Myanmar – the actual approval and implementation of CMEC projects has been incremental, and at a speed far less impressive than the narrative. As a result of friction between China’s massive ambition and Myanmar’s moderate capability, the CMEC is unlikely to end up looking the way many people imagine. The CMEC is the second economic corridor China has embarked on with a single state under BRI, after the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and this reflects its strategic importance in Beijing’s plans. The basic design of CMEC is an upside-down “Y” shape that connects China’s Yunnan Province with Mandalay in central Myanmar, and then stretches southeast down to Yangon and southwest to Myanmar’s Rakhine State..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
2019-09-26
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-27
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "Myanmar held its first ever international investment summit late last month in Naypyitaw. The two-day event showcased 120 projects worth US$3 billion (about 4.5 trillion kyats) in 10 states and regions. On the second day of the event, Investment and Foreign Economic Relations Minister U Thaung Tun hosted a dialogue for international guests, offering them reasons why they should invest in Southeast Asia’s “Final Best Frontier.” The government is looking for ways to revive the economy, which has been sluggish for more than two years. “Myanmar is now open for businesses. We are making the necessary changes,” U Thaung Tun said. A weakening currency, high inflation, armed conflict, unstable policies and the slow pace of reform have chipped away at growth under the current administration, which had hoped the economy would take wing after more than five decades of isolation under military rule. Under the government’s “Look East” policy, officials have toured Asia beating the drum for the country’s economy. The summit was part of this attempt to raise investment from East Asian countries. More than 1,600 local and foreign delegates from 17 countries attended the summit and 40 companies exhibited. The top countries were China, Japan, Singapore and Thailand..."
Source/publisher: "Belt & Road News" (China)
2019-02-02
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "Every Morning, a pack of Burmese vendors gather their wares and approach the fence separating Muse, a border town in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State, from China’s Yunnan Province. Sheltered by Palm Trees, they slip snacks, herbal medicine and boxes of cigarettes through small holes in the fence not much larger than milk cartons as Chinese border guards lazily observe the fracas. If an item is too large, they wait patiently until nobody’s watching and toss it over the border. Footsteps away, packed jade markets bustle as travelling buyers scrupulously examine the wares with magnifying glasses and consult with partners on WeChat video calls before breaking out into rapid-fire rounds of negotiation. Trade is the beating heart of Ruili, the notorious final frontier of Yunnan as it meets Myanmar. Once famous for sex, drugs, and gambling, the city is hard at work burying its seedier side under a meteoric spree of development. While illicit KTVs and “massage parlours” still line the border fence, and shadier cross-border entrepreneurs deal in illegal timber and human trafficking, the two countries are preparing to make the area into a hub for China’s Belt & Road Initiative..."
Source/publisher: "Belt & Road News" (China)
2019-09-12
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Sub-title: Myanmar is set to cooperate with Hong Kong in addition to other countries along China’s Belt and Road Initiative, announced Minister of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations U Thaung Tun during the Fourth Belt and Road Summit 2019 in Hong Kong on Sept
Description: "The summit was organised by the government of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council to promote business collaboration through the Belt and Road platform. More than 5800 representatives from 69countries attended the event. “Hong Kong and Myanmar are strategically located along the Belt and Road project. Hong Kong is a major economic entrance to China, a central area for logistics and is also a centre for financial services. On the other hand, Myanmar is a fast-growing country and so will cooperate with Hong Kong and other countries along the Belt and Road project,” U Thaung Tun said. He said Myanmar’s Sustainable Development Plan will work to include such sectors as investment, finance, logistics, and industry in implementing the Belt and Road Initiative, a global development strategy adopted by the Chinese government involving infrastructure development and investments in 152 countries and international organisations in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. “Hong Kong is a strategic location with a lot of potential and will participate in the BRI through cooperation on policies and projects for the BRI by sharing extensive knowledge about the main prospects of Hong Kong, and promotion of Hong Kong’s service industry,” said Chief Executive of Hong Kong Mrs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Myanmar Times"
2019-09-17
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) recently approved eight more local and foreign investment projects, said a release from the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) on Sunday. The approved projects cover livestock and fisheries, manufacturing, hotel, real estate, oil and gas, transport and telecommunication sectors, creating 3,159 employment opportunities for local people. According to the DICA figures, a total of 1,806 foreign enterprises were permitted with estimated investment capital of 81.6 billion U.S. dollars from FY 1988-1989 to Aug. 31 of present FY 2018-2019. During the period, Singapore, China and Thailand were listed as the three leading investors and sectorally, Myanmar’s oil and gas sector attracted most foreign investments, followed by power and manufacturing sectors, respectively..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Xinhua"
2019-09-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) recently approved eight more local and foreign investment projects, said a release from the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) on Sunday. The approved projects cover livestock and fisheries, manufacturing, hotel, real estate, oil and gas, transport and telecommunication sectors, creating 3,159 employment opportunities for local people. According to the DICA figures, a total of 1,806 foreign enterprises were permitted with estimated investment capital of 81.6 billion U.S. dollars from FY 1988-1989 to Aug. 31 of present FY 2018-2019. During the period, Singapore, China and Thailand were listed as the three leading investors and sectorally, Myanmar’s oil and gas sector attracted most foreign investments, followed by power and manufacturing sectors, respectively..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Xinhua"
2019-09-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Topic: China, Myitsone Dam,India, foreign investment, international relations, conflict
Sub-title: If China and India seek sustainable development in Myanmar, they should engage more locally and listen to the voices of affected communities. For China, this starts with the Myitsone Dam.
Topic: China, Myitsone Dam,India, foreign investment, international relations, conflict
Description: "MYANMAR HAS two major assets that interest China: access to the Indian Ocean and plentiful natural resources. During the rule of Myanmar’s military junta, 1988-2011, China won access to both by protecting the regime from the impact of sanctions and condemnation by Western countries. Under President U Thein Sein’s transitional, military-backed government, beginning in 2011, Myanmar moved closer to Western powers, seeking to lessen the country’s dependence on its giant neighbour to the north. Many observers assumed that, under a National League for Democracy-led, semi-civilian government, the pivot away from China would continue . However, since 2016, when the NLD took office, China has increased its influence in Myanmar, in large part because of the country’s renewed isolation over the Rohingya crisis. In Kachin State, which borders China to the north and east, the consequences of this shift are profound. China has had direct access to the Indian Ocean since 2013, when a gas pipeline that spans Myanmar became operational. The 2,520-kilometre pipeline starts from Kyaukphyu in Rakhine State on Myanmar’s western coast, enters China from Shan State at Ruili in Yunnan Province and ends at Guigang in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. A parallel crude oil pipeline that stops at Kunming began operating in 2017. As well as their economic value, these projects give China long-term leverage over Myanmar. Since 2017, the government has come under renewed international pressure over the widespread and systematic abuses perpetrated by the Tatmadaw against the Rohingya population in northern Rakhine State. More than 700,000 civilians fled across the border to Bangladesh, which is now home to more than a million Rohingya refugees. Through its veto powers at the United Nations Security Council, China has protected Myanmar by blocking moves to penalise the government. While there have been many losers in the Rohingya crisis, China has been a clear winner. The Tatmadaw has also done well out of it; the NLD-led civilian government, much less so..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar"
2019-03-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Topic: Myitsone Dam, Kachin State, hydropower, China, SPIC, foreign investment, Belt and Road Initiative, Ayeyarwady River, protests
Topic: Myitsone Dam, Kachin State, hydropower, China, SPIC, foreign investment, Belt and Road Initiative, Ayeyarwady River, protests
Description: " Thousands of people in northern Myanmar took to the streets on Monday to protest against the proposed reinstatement of a Chinese-backed mega-dam they say will cause huge environmental damage and bring little benefit to the country. The protest came just days ahead of a trip by civilian leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to Beijing for a summit on China's Belt and Road Initiative. Myanmar's former military junta signed a 2009 deal with Beijing to construct the Myitsone dam in Kachin State. But public anger rose to the surface as the country started to transition towards democracy and the US$3.6 billion project was mothballed two years later. If the 6,000 megawatt dam were built on the country's famed Ayeyarwady River, it would flood an area the size of Singapore, displacing tens of thousands. Now China is increasing pressure on its southern neighbour to revive the controversial project. On Monday protesters marched through the Kachin town of Waingmaw, some 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the proposed site of the dam, brandishing banners reading "No Myitsone Dam" and calling for the river to "flow freely forever". "Myitsone is our inheritance from our ancestors and we cannot lose it," protester Tang Gun told AFP by phone. He said more than 4,000 people took part in the march while several thousand more had signed a petition pledging their support for the protest..."
Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar" via AFP
2019-04-23
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Sub-title: A Border Guard Force and a Chinese company have teamed up to build a hi-tech city on the border north of Myawaddy, with seemingly little regard for Myanmar law and the livelihoods of the local Karen.
Description: "THE ROAD north from the busy trading town of Myawaddy, on the border with Thailand, passes through bucolic Karen villages. The road is flanked by fields of maize and rubber plantations, with trees stretching as far as the eye can see. The area is severely under-developed; villages lack electricity and the road is in such poor condition the 16-kilometre drive north to Shwe Kokko can take about two hours. Shwe Kokko was once a village like the others in this area: sleepy, peaceful, inviting. It is now a massive construction site home to thousands of workers. Chinese investors are partnering with a local warlord to pump billions of dollars into the project, which is already reshaping this once quiet corner of the Thai-Myanmar frontier. When it comes to the Shwe Kokko project – a self-described “special economic zone” that has already been dubbed the “Chinatown of Kayin State” on social media in Myanmar – sorting fact from fiction can be difficult. But one thing is certain: the developers have big plans. But who is behind this project, and why would they choose this corner of Myanmar to develop a megacity from scratch? Shwe Kokko is being developed on a sweeping bend of the Moei River controlled by the Kayin State Border Guard Force. Formerly known as the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, the group was rebranded as a BGF in 2010, when it came under Tatmadaw control. In exchange for its loyalty, the BGF has been allowed to develop significant economic interests, including a mix of licit and illicit businesses. Shwe Kokko would be the largest of the lot..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar"
2019-09-05
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "China is the largest investor in Myanmar’s Financial Hub, Yangon Region, in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, according to the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA). China is already the second largest investor in the country. The director of DICA’s Yangon Region Office, U Myo Khaing Oo, said on Wednesday that as of July 24, Yangon Region had given the green light to a total of 113 foreign investment projects in the current 2018-19 fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. Of those, 65 are by Chinese companies. “Chinese account for the biggest share,” said U Myo Khaing Oo, who is also secretary of the Yangon Region Investment Committee (YRIC). However, he did not reveal which sector received the most investment from China. In addition to the Chinese projects, the regional government approved 17 projects from Hong Kong; six each from India and Taiwan; four from Japan; three each from Singapore and the British Virgin Islands; and nine from other countries. The foreign projects were worth a total of US$201.022 million (303.83 billion kyats), according to the YRIC..."
Source/publisher: "Belt & Road News" via Business Reporting Desk
2019-07-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Sub-title: Beijing warns that investment will halt unless Myitsone Dam project is restarted
Description: "While Aung San Suu Kyi's government has a strained relationship with the West over its handling of the Rohingya crisis, China has shielded Myanmar from international pressure and punitive action from the U.N. Security Council. Beijing is now pressing Myanmar to revive the Myitsone Dam project, which has been suspended for seven years, in exchange for its diplomatic protection. Work on the US$3.6 billion project in Kachin State started in 2008 but the military-backed government of then-president Thein Sein suspended its construction in September 2011 following protests and widespread environmental concerns. The issue became a major thorn in relations between the countries as China agitated for resuming work. The hydroelectric dam would be the 15th largest in the world. The 6,000 megawatts of electricity it would produce is more than Myanmar's entire power grid produces at present. However, the majority would be used by China despite Myanmar being chronically short of power. Renewed Chinese pressure came when Chinese ambassador Hong Liang visited Kachin in December and met with political parties and social organizations..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "UCAnews"
2019-01-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Sub-title: While national attention remains focused on the Myitsone dam, Frontier visits one of the six other mega-dams north of the Ayeyarwady River confluence that could resume if conflict between the Tatmadaw and Kachin Independence Organisation is resolved.
Description: "This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. The fuel station is bigger and more modern than anything I’ve seen in Kachin State. It’s also completely abandoned. A fuel nozzle lies on the cracked, overgrown concrete, its hose trailing across the ground to a dispenser that has been reduced to a skeleton. Above the dispensers is a steel frame that would once have held up a roof. The adjacent concrete office is a mess of rubbish and broken glass. Gaping doorways let in the dull monsoon light. The fuel station was built to supply construction vehicles on the 3,400-megawatt Chipwi hydropower project on the N’Mai River. The dam would be the second largest in a cascade of seven that a Chinese-Myanmar joint venture, Upstream Ayeyawady Confluence Basin Hydropower Co Ltd, plans to build on the upper reaches of the Ayeyarwady River in Kachin State. Work began in December 2010 with a targeted completion date of 2020. Just six months later, fighting erupted between the Kachin Independence Organisation and the Tatmadaw, ending a 17-year ceasefire. In April 2012, soldiers of the Kachin Independence Army, the KIO’s armed wing, pushed into the area of the dam project and captured it from a Tatmadaw-aligned Border Guard Force. Fearing for their lives, hundreds of Chinese workers fled for safety in nearby Chipwi town, and the developer was forced to suspend work..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar"
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "Just a few months before 2012 by-elections, a group of concerned citizens worried about the fate of Myitsone gathered together at a location overlooking the confluence of three rivers in Myitkyina, Kachin State. A man walked to a podium with the assistance of a friend and said, with tears in his eyes, that the Ayeyarawady River was the lifeline of the whole of Myanmar and it’s endangered and near extinct flora and fauna would be diminished forever if and when the planned Myitsone hydropower dam was built there. The man was U Ohn an eminent environmentalist who loves his country. Thanks to public awareness campaigns launched by environmentalists, protest campaigns launched by CSOs, and media coverage about the dangers of the dam, protests against it construction were launched. The Myitsone dam project consists of building seven dams with the main dam at the confluence (Myitsone) of the Maykha and Malikha Rivers, five more dams on Maykha and a dam on Malikha Rivers will also be built for power generation. The estimated installed capacity of the project is 21,600 MW. According to 2015 statistics, Myanmar is currently generating just over 5,000 MW in the entire country so the installed capacity of the Myitsone dam will be over four times that of total power generation in the country. The then military regime and China Power Investment Corporation signed a MoU to build the dam in 2006. After completion, 90% of the power generated will be sold to China and Myanmar will receive the remaining 10%. At that time, the deafening sounds of protest against Myitsone and calls for ‘Save the Irrawaddy’ echoed throughout the entire country. As a result, in 2012, President Thein Sein made the stunning announcement that the project would be suspended during his five-year tenure and he won the hearts of the people..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Mekong Eye" via Mizzima
2016-07-18
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "In Burma, workers are building one of the most lucrative foreign-funded development projects in the country's history. Twin oil and gas pipelines will stretch from Burma's west coast to its northeast border and into energy-hungry China. They are expected to earn Burma about $1 billion per year, but, as VOA's Daniel Schearf reports from Mandalay, not everyone is a supporter..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: VOA News
2012-05-05
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "Voters in Myanmar will be going to the first elections in 20 years on Sunday, even as the military government faces severe international trade sanctions. But China continues to invest billions of dollars, fuelled mostly by an appetite for natural resources. Al Jazeera's correspondent, not being named due to Myanmar's reporting restrictions, reports from Mandalay where the signs of China's growing influence are clearly visible. (Nov 05, 2010)..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: Al Jazeera English
2010-11-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: Abstract: "Following the national responsibility theory in the school of international society which argues that national interest drives a state?s foreign policy, this thesis first attempts to deconstruct China?s foreign direct investment (FDI) in Myanmar since 2004 by picking apart and manipulating financial data in order to determine the resulting trends and developments. It then analyzes how Myanmar?s abundant natural resources could help alleviate China?s rising energy demands and how Chinese FDI can enhance China?s political security, reduce energy costs, diversify its imports, and mitigate mineral shortages. The United States? marked presence in the region due to a transformation in foreign policy in the Obama administration, as well as the 2011 dissolution of military law in Myanmar, means that the motivation for Chinese FDI no longer solely revolves around the acquisition of natural resources and the previous lack of international competitors in the country. Nevertheless, I argue that China?s national economic interest will continue to serve as the primary incentive to invest billions of dollars into Myanmar, though political interest is beginning to factor more into China?s motivations."...Keywords: China, Myanmar, foreign direct investment, natural resources, national interest
Creator/author: Travis Mitchell
Source/publisher: Lund University, Graduate School, Department of Political Science
2012-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2012-10-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.17 MB
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Description: Sie werden nicht gefragt, nicht entschädigt und bald einfach fortgejagt: Ein Staudammprojekt am Ayeyarwady in Myanmar bedroht die Natur und die Existenz tausender Flussanwohner. Der Widerstand gegen die Pläne der Militärjunta ist lebensgefährlich. Chinesische Investitionen, Kachin; Chinese Investment.
Creator/author: Veronika Buter
Source/publisher: Kontinente
2008-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: German, Deutsch
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Description: "Introductory research conducted by the Burma Project over the past three months has found more than 26 Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs) involved in more than 62 hydropower, oil & gas, and mining projects in Burma. The projects vary from small dams completed in the past decade to planned dual oil and gas pipelines across Burma to Yunnan province announced this year. Detailed information about many of these investments is not made available to affected communities or the general public, and we hope that the information here will stimulate additional discussion, research, and investigation into the conduct of Chinese MNCs in Burma..."
Source/publisher: EarthRights International
2007-09-00
Date of entry/update: 2010-09-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Chinese, Burmese
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Description: Introduction: "One of the key features of the Sino-Myanmar relationship since 1988 has been the growing bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, aid or development assistance, and investment. Since 1988, China has become one of the most important sources of trade and development assistance for Myanmar. Though overall investment volumes are small, a hallmark of Chinese investment in Myanmar is its heavy concentration in a few strategic sectors. The pattern of the Sino-Myanmar economic relationship has reflected what the "Modern World System" theorists call "centre-periphery" relations: the wealth flows from the periphery to the centre and the authority or influence flows from the centre to the periphery."
Creator/author: Maung Aung Myoe
Source/publisher: Asia Research Institute, Singapore Working Paper No. 86
2007-04-00
Date of entry/update: 2008-02-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 444.81 KB
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Description: The past decade has witnessed a tremendous surge in investment in hydropower projects in Southeast Asian countries on the part of Chinese corporations at the same time as the PRC continues to overdevelop its own hydropower potential and environmental protection takes greater priorities within the country. In this paper delivered at at a China - ASEAN power forum attended by hundreds of executives of leading PRC power companies, Zao Noam and Piaporn Deetes of Thailand argue that the social and environmental impacts from hydropower development in the Mekong countries must be seriously addressed in order to mitigate damaging impacts to regional economies, food security and rural livelihoods. Without comprehensive and careful consideration of hydropower's multi-faceted impacts, millions of small farmers and fisher folk whose livelihoods depend on the richness of the Mekong ecosystems will bear most of the costs of the infrastructure development. Civil society in the Mekong region urges the Chinese corporate sector to conduct hydropower development in the region according to international standards which minimizes socio-economic and ecological harm.
Source/publisher: Living River Siam
2007-10-00
Date of entry/update: 2008-02-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.04 MB
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Description: Abstract: "Against the background of closer diplomatic, political and security ties between Myanmar and China since 1988, their economic relations have also grown stronger throughout the 1990s and up to 2005. China is now a major supplier of consumer and capital goods to Myanmar, in particular through border trade. China also provides a large amount of economic cooperation in the areas of infrastructure, energy and state-owned economic enterprises. Nevertheless, Myanmar?s trade with China has failed to have a substantial impact on its broad-based economic and industrial development. China?s economic cooperation apparently supports the present regime, but its effects on the whole economy will be limited with an unfavorable macroeconomic environment and distorted incentives structure. As a conclusion, strengthened economic ties with China will be instrumental in regime survival, but will not be a powerful force affecting the process of economic development in Myanmar."...Keywords: Myanmar (Burma), China, trade, border trade, economic cooperation, energy, oil and gas
Creator/author: Toshihiro Kudo
Source/publisher: IDE DISCUSSION PAPER No. 66
2006-07-00
Date of entry/update: 2007-02-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Stories of murder and mayhem abound in Kachin State?s casino town... "Welcome to the Macao of northern Burma: Maija Yang, once a backward Kachin State border village but now a bustling boom town with more than a dozen casinos catering to Chinese gamblers sidelined by restrictions in their own country. The frontier-style administration of Maija Yang, 160km north of the Kachin capital Myitkyina, is effectively in the hands of the Kachin Independence Organization, which is said to earn around 8.5 million yuan (more than US $1 million) annually from the Chinese-run casinos. Prostitution, drugs and alcohol probably net the town even more money. The first of the casinos was built four years ago under a KIO development program originally intended to provide local people, traditionally reliant on the opium trade, with an alternative source of income. The high-minded plan went awry, however—the casinos employ mostly Chinese staff, and the drugs problem is only getting worse..."
Creator/author: Khun Sam
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" Vol. 13, No. 7
2005-07-00
Date of entry/update: 2006-04-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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