Myanmar has scaled back plans for a Chinese-backed port on its western coast, sharply reducing the cost of the project after concerns it could leave the south-east Asian nation heavily indebted, a top government official and an adviser told Reuters. The Kyaukpyu port is a key part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road initiative, aimed […]
China agrees to 70% share in Kyaukphyu sea port
October 19, 2017 by
China has agreed to take a 70 percent stake in a strategically important sea port in Burma, at the lower end of a proposed range amid local concerns about Beijing’s growing economic clout in the country, a senior government official said. Oo Maung, vice chairman of a government-led committee overseeing the project, said Burma had […]
China Faces Resistance to a Cherished Theme of Its Foreign Policy
May 13, 2017 by
ON APRIL 10th a freight train pulled out of Barking station in London carrying Scotch whisky, baby milk and engineering equipment. It arrived in Yiwu in eastern China (see map) nearly three weeks later, completing the second-longest round-trip train journey ever made (after Yiwu to Madrid and back, a record set in 2014). It lopped […]
Myanmar: Ground Zero for China-India Energy Competition | Geopolitical Monitor
November 8, 2016 by
Since the early 1990s, China’s remarkable economic growth has led to a dramatic increase in its domestic energy needs, prompting its state-owned national oil companies (NOCs) to embark upon a worldwide search for oil and gas reserves. This strategy has been successful in diversifying import sources and satisfying the demands of a growing economy, yet […]
New China Refinery Faces Delay as Myanmar Seeks Extra Oil Tax: Sources
October 13, 2016 by
A newly built Chinese refinery near its border with Myanmar is facing a delayed start-up after state firm PetroChina balked at paying an extra tax for piping crude oil through the Southeast Asian nation, two senior Chinese industry sources said. PetroChina parent CNPC early last year began trial operations of a deep sea port and 2,400-km (1,490 […]
Myanmar’s wireless market heating up
April 20, 2016 by
YANGON — Competition in Myanmar’s mobile phone market is getting fierce. With sustained downward pressure on prices, the industry fears it could squeeze itself out of profitability. And things could get worse. Last July, Myanmar’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said it would invite bids for a fourth mobile phone operator’s license. At first, […]
