As the Myanmar military junta continues to grapple with international sanctions and economic isolation, it is actively courting investment from Russia.
During a recent trip to Russia, junta Minister for Transport and Communications General Mya Tun Oo outlined how Myanmar’s transport infrastructure, particularly its ports and railways, could serve as key hubs for transshipment of Russian goods to regional markets.
He emphasized that goods from Russia could be shipped through Yangon’s ports and further distributed by road and rail to other Southeast Asian destinations.
Mya Tun Oo led a delegation of senior officials—including the regime’s ministers of investment and foreign economic relations, agriculture, natural resources, labor, commerce, health, and tourism—and business owners from the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) to the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), which was held from June 18 to 21. The delegation returned to Myanmar on June 24.
At the forum, Mya Tun Oo sought to strengthen economic ties, promote investment and explore infrastructure cooperation with Russia and other international stakeholders, promoting Myanmar as a transport corridor for Russian goods as Moscow looks to increase trade with Southeast Asian nations.
He also extended an invitation to Russian investors, encouraging them to participate in Myanmar’s port and railway development projects, as well as large-scale infrastructure initiatives.
Junta media did not report on how the Russian side responded to Mya Tun Oo’s proposal. The delegation also talked with Russian transport advisors about upgrading Myanmar’s transportation and logistics infrastructure.
During the Fifth Meeting of the Russia-Myanmar Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation in Naypyitaw in February, the junta expressed interest in integrating with the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) to access European markets. The regime also talked about opportunities for Moscow to penetrate Asian markets, and invited Russian investment in improving transport infrastructure and industrial cooperation.
After returning from his first-ever state visit to Russia in March, Min Aung Hlaing visited the Asia World Port Terminal in Yangon, where he reviewed the port’s capacity and trade volume, underscoring the junta’s commitment to enhancing its logistics capabilities.
One of the major arms suppliers to the regime, Russia has emerged as a major junta ally since the coup, but despite ongoing discussions on increased cooperation in trade, investment and tourism, there has been little progress in these areas.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar junta is also cooperating with China on infrastructure projects in the country including the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, a key overland route connecting China’s Yunnan Province to the Indian Ocean via Myanmar. Earlier this year, Myanmar China Harbour Engineering Co. signed memoranda of understanding with the Myanmar Rice Federation and four public companies in Myanmar to invest in port facilities to help increase Myanmar’s agricultural exports. The initial investment of those projects totaled US$61 million, according to junta media.
