Beijing: Even as India is keenly pushing ahead with its economic ties with energy-rich Myanmar, where China already has a marked presence, a Chinese expert reflecting the government’s view has said Beijing “welcomes” competition from New Delhi in the region and does not have a strategy to “strangle” India.
India, which shares a land border of more than 1,600 km with Myanmar, inked a slew of agreements with the government of President Thein Sein during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to that country at the end of May.
India and Myanmar’s trade is worth $1.2 billion, which is currently heavily in favor of Myanmar. In comparison, China is Myanmar’s second largest trading partner, with their bilateral trade hitting $4.44 billion in 2010, a 53.2-percent increase over the previous year, according to a Myanmar Times report, which was also cited by China’s state-run China Daily. “China’s position is very strong in economic trade in Myanmar and South Asia. China welcomes competition from India,” Jia Xiudong, Senior Fellow in Residence, of China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), Department of International Strategic Studies, told a group of visiting Indian journalists.
He made the comment when asked if China was concerned about India’s ‘Look East’ policy. Jia said China is “not concerned” and welcomes competition.
The Myanmar Times, citing data from the Myanmar Investment Commission, reported that China invested $13.6 billion in Myanmar, mostly in the energy sector, during 2010-11. Of this, $9.6 billion was invested in 2011.
Six official Chinese delegations visited MIC in 2011 to discuss investment in infrastructure, mining, energy and manufacturing.
However, work on the Myitsone dam project on the Irrawaddy – set to be Myanmar’s largest hydroelectric power stations – was stopped due to environmental concerns and protests by locals. The state-run China Power Investment Corporation is in talks with the Myanmar government to resume the project.
India’s main infrastructure venture in Myanmar is the Kaladan multi-modal project to link Sittwe port to Mizoram by road and an inland waterway. However, work on the project, which began in 2008, is progressing slowly. While the waterway is expected to be completed by 2013, the road link is to be ready by 2014.
India is also engaged in upgrading and resurfacing of a few major roads in Myanmar. India’s state-run oil firms, the overseas arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corp and and GAIL have a 30-percent interest in two gas-producing blocks in Myanmar as part of a consortium which is supplying the hydrocarbon gas produced to China. (IANS)
