© Copyright 2021 Online Burma/Myanmar Library. Three years later, after a marathon of negotiations, the CITIC-led consortium struck a framework agreement with Myanmar on the project. China will develop a multi-billion-dollar deep sea port in Myanmar's Kyaukpyu town along the Bay of Bengal, a development that will concern India which already has two Chinese-built ports around it. They either fish for a living or opt to work elsewhere. It was an effort to meet the exigencies that surfaced in Myanmar after the Covid-19 (Wuhan Virus) was officially (though delayed) declared by WHO. Two men ride a motorcycle in Kyaukpyu, Rakhine State, Myanmar, Jan. 12, 2020. The projects were rushed through despite local objections. Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Kyaukpyu SEZ. This deep-sea port, surrounded by superb natural conditions, could be developed into another demonstration project under the framework of the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI), mutually benefiting both Myanmar and […] More than six years after China first put forward the BRI, a grand undertaking to build a trade and infrastructure network linking Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond, the Kyaukpyu deep-water port will join the ever-expanding list of BRI projects. The Kyaukphyu port project’s proponents argue that it will provide much-needed infrastructure and jobs in an impoverished region which otherwise struggles to attract business and investment. The second program designed to teach Chinese is now underway. Our website uses cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Kyaukpyu Port ranks highly on a long list of controversial Chinese development projects in Myanmar, a list that includes the cancelled Myitsone hydropower dam and the ever contentious Letpadaung copper mine. The construction of the port will soon commence after completing economic and social impact assessments. (Xinhua/Du Yu). "Many people in Rakhine State have left to other cities or gone abroad for work due to lack of jobs here," and creating more work is the only way to bring them back and help revive the local economy, said Nyeinn Chann Maung, who owns a hotel in Kyaukpyu and is chairman of Kyaukpyu District Native Ethnic Development Association. With the rapid spread of the Virus in other countries and the possibility of its economy being very adversely affected, Myanmar launched an Economy Relief Plan on April 27, 2020. China and Myanmar continue negotiating on the construction of Kyaukpyu Port in Rakhine State. Kyaukpyu Township (Burmese: ကျောက်ဖြူမြို့နယ်) is a township of Kyaukpyu District in the Rakhine State of Myanmar.The principal town is Kyaukpyu.. At Ma Day Island of Kyaukpyu Township, a deep sea port was being built by Aisa World Company by investment of China National Petroleum Corporation. Myanmar: China and the Kyaukpyu Deep Sea Port, "In the meetings, President Xi focussed on three main projects under the Belt and Initiative and part of the CMEC (China-Myanmar Economic Corridor). Without going into full details of all actions contemplated we shall restrict ourselves to the seven goals. The starting point of the natural gas pipeline was at Kyaukpyu Port in Kyaukpyu and the starting point of the crude oil pipeline was at Maday Island outside Kyaukpyu. "I also hope mastering Chinese can enable me to get more opportunities for my students, for them to work in Chinese companies," Aye said. In 2014, the Myanmar government invited bidders from around the world for its plan to set up the Kyaukpyu SEZ, one of the country's three national SEZs, in an effort to kick-start the local economy and raise living standards. We will consider carrying on with the project after the first two wharfs are built. China and Myanmar signed an agreement on Thursday to build the deep sea port project in Kyaukpyu … ", (Video reporters: Jiang Chao, Qiu Bo, Yuan Mengchen, Zhang Dongqiang, Che Hongliang; Video editor: Zheng Xin), 010020070750000000000000011102121387160991. The Gas pipe line was started in 2013 and the Oil Pipe line started functioning fro April 2017. China’s motivations for Kyaukphyu, to be sure, are as geo-strategic as they are economic. After Myanmar experienced a democratic transition in 2011, opposition to Chinese-funded enterprises surfaced, such as protests with the greatest repercussions against the Myitsone Dam and the Letpadaung Copper Mine. Myanmar officials and Chinese investors are scheduled to sign a framework agreement for the Kyaukpyu port project Thursday in the capital city, Nay Pyi Taw, a spokesman at Myanmar’s Ministry of Commerce … China in the mean time had already completed an oil pipeline project from Kunming to Kyaukpyu and also a gas pipe line between the two ports. The CITIC consortium told Xinhua that the port and the industrial park combined will create more than 100,000 jobs each year for local residents and create tax revenues of 15 billon dollars during the initial franchise period of 50 years. (Xinhua/Du Yu). The 72-year-old said the deep-sea port would not only boost living standards but provide a growth engine for the local economy. All rights reserved. At that point of time, Myanmar was not aware of the possible spread of the deadly Virus unleashed by China. Such a huge investment is bound to instill vitality into local development and push up the gross domestic product of the region, he said. Kyaukpyu Special Economic Zone Myanmar's leading economic development zone, deep sea port and oil & gas pipeline connecting China to the Indian Ocean FIND OUT MORE. In September, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor. The Port would help China avoid the vulnerable straits of Malacca. [11] Myanmar: China agrees to continue Kyaukpyu project based on results, Eleven Myanmar, Oct 5 2018 [click to view] [5] Myanmar scales back Chinese-backed port project over debt fears, The Guardian, August 2, 2018 [click to view] "My expectation is that our graduates land good jobs because of the deep-sea port. This deep-sea port, surrounded by superb natural conditions, could be developed into another demonstration project under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), mutually benefiting both Myanmar and China. These were the New Yangon Project, the Kyaukpyu Deep Sea Port with the SEZ (the latter only to sweeten the deal and keep the Myanmar side interested) and the China-Myanmar Border Cooperation Zone.