• Burmese
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

US Investment Proposals Absent Under New Govt

The Irrawaddy by The Irrawaddy
July 6, 2016
in Business
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
US Investment Proposals Absent Under New Govt

Window cleaners scale one of several newly constructed shopping malls in Rangoon

4.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON — American companies have been conspicuously absent from the 106 local and foreign direct investment proposals made during the first quarter of the 2016-17 fiscal year, which started in April.

Burma’s Investment Commission, reconstituted in early June after a period of dormancy brought about by the installation of a new government in April, has so far processed only eight of the 106 proposals.

Minister of National Planning and Finance Kyaw Win chairs the commission, with Minister of Commerce Than Myint appointed as vice chairman.

RelatedPosts

China’s Bet on Myanmar Junta Risks Backfiring

China’s Bet on Myanmar Junta Risks Backfiring

June 17, 2025
1k
Junta Boss Drops Green Bombshell; Goes Plane-Crazy Over Dollar Shortage; and More  

Junta Boss Drops Green Bombshell; Goes Plane-Crazy Over Dollar Shortage; and More  

June 7, 2025
1.9k
Myanmar Junta Troops Regroup to Retake Bases Guarding Myawaddy

Myanmar Junta Troops Regroup to Retake Bases Guarding Myawaddy

June 3, 2025
2.4k

Than Aung Kyaw, deputy director general of the Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration (DICA), told The Irrawaddy that the commission was now making “dramatic” progress through the backlog.

According to Investment Commission data, more than US$2 billion worth of investments have been pledged during the first quarter of this fiscal year from April to June.

In the first quarter of the 2015-16 fiscal year, 71 projects were approved at a valuation of $2.65 billion. The first quarter of the 2014-2015 fiscal year saw 39 projects approved valued collectively at US$810 million.

Out of the 98 proposals that currently await scrutiny, 47 are for foreign direct investment, according to DICA director Min Zaw Oo, who is a member of the proposal assessment team in the Investment Commission.

“Most of the proposals are from manufacturing businesses from various different countries,” he said.

However, US businesses are not among the foreign investment proposals Burma has received under the new government, according to the DICA.

The top foreign investors for this opening period are Singapore, followed by China, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and India.

Maung Maung Lay, vice-chairman of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said that Burma’s rudimentary infrastructure and lack of skilled labor may be a factor deterring investment from the US, since their businesses are based on “cutting-edge technologies.”

“Most of the foreign investment proposals we have received are for labor-intensive businesses. But the US does not engage much in labor-intensive business now,” he said.

“Their businesses are somewhat hi-tech, and can’t operate in the absence of well-developed infrastructure, for example, a stable electricity supply. And skilled labor is needed to operate hi-tech businesses,” he said.

In May, the US government reduced sanctions targeting Burma’s financial sector and certain state-owned enterprises involved in mining and timber extraction. The aim was to boost trade between the two countries and enable American investment—even though key economic players with close links to Burma’s military remained blacklisted.

It appears, however, that American companies and investors continue to approach Burma with trepidation—although this could change after the National League for Democracy (NLD) government’s economic policy, currently vague, is properly clarified.

“Many US and EU companies investors come here via Singapore, where they are already established,” explained Than Aung Kyaw, deputy director general of the DICA. “Singapore is positioned close to [Burma] and has a reliable banking system. That’s why US investors are not coming here directly.”

In 2015, US exports to Burma were valued at $227 million and imports at $144 million, according to DICA figures. Since 1988, total approved US investment in Burma has been $248 million.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: A_FactivaInvestmentTrade
The Irrawaddy

The Irrawaddy

...

Similar Picks:

Drone Attack at Myanmar-China Border Gate Causes Over $14m in Losses
Business

Drone Attack at Myanmar-China Border Gate Causes Over $14m in Losses

by The Irrawaddy
November 27, 2023
38.5k

Jin San Jiao is latest northern Shan State trade hub in crosshairs of ethnic Brotherhood Alliance.

Read moreDetails
General Close to Myanmar Junta Boss Placed Under House Arrest, Interrogated for Corruption
Burma

General Close to Myanmar Junta Boss Placed Under House Arrest, Interrogated for Corruption

by The Irrawaddy
September 14, 2023
28.7k

The arrest of ‘kickback king’ Lt-Gen Moe Myint Tun, once seen as a possible successor to Min Aung Hlaing, comes...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Arrests Thai Condo Buyers, Realtors as Currency Crashes
Business

Myanmar Junta Arrests Thai Condo Buyers, Realtors as Currency Crashes

by The Irrawaddy
June 4, 2024
27.6k

Monday’s arrests follow reports that Myanmar has become one of Thailand’s most lucrative markets for selling condos since the 2021...

Read moreDetails
Indian Blockade Isolates Myanmar’s Rakhine, Pressures Arakan Army to Leave Chin State
Burma

Indian Blockade Isolates Myanmar’s Rakhine, Pressures Arakan Army to Leave Chin State

by The Irrawaddy
June 28, 2024
13.3k

An ethnic Chin group on India’s border has cut off the last major supply route to Rakhine and issued an...

Read moreDetails
Singapore and Indonesia in Spotlight Over Illegal Arms Exports to Myanmar
Guest Column

Singapore and Indonesia in Spotlight Over Illegal Arms Exports to Myanmar

by Bertil Lintner
October 3, 2023
11.7k

Two recent cases reveal how companies have evaded local and international rules to supply the junta with military hardware.

Read moreDetails
Planeload of Cronies Accompany Myanmar Junta Boss on Russia Trip
Business

Planeload of Cronies Accompany Myanmar Junta Boss on Russia Trip

by Hein Htoo Zan
March 7, 2025
10.6k

Regime-linked businessmen are set to cash in on deals flowing from the 10 agreements signed between Russia and the Myanmar...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Analysis: Burma’s Military Remains Intolerant of Press Freedom

Analysis: Burma’s Military Remains Intolerant of Press Freedom

Ma Ba Tha Supporters Protest Against Rangoon Chief Minister

Ma Ba Tha Supporters Protest Against Rangoon Chief Minister

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

4 days ago
1.3k
China is Systematically Dismantling Tibetan Monastic Traditions

China is Systematically Dismantling Tibetan Monastic Traditions

2 days ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Attacks to Reclaim KIA’s Jade and Rare Earth Strongholds

    Myanmar Junta Attacks to Reclaim KIA’s Jade and Rare Earth Strongholds

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • China’s Bet on Myanmar Junta Risks Backfiring

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • China is Systematically Dismantling Tibetan Monastic Traditions

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Updated Timeline: Key Events in the Life of Myanmar’s Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Defusing the Thai-Cambodian Border Row

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.