• Burmese
Monday, May 19, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
29 °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 News Burma

Burma Chamber of Commerce Wants More Chinese Hydropower Investment

Soe Sandar Oo by Soe Sandar Oo
December 19, 2013
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Burma Chamber of Commerce Wants More Chinese Hydropower Investment

The suspended Myitsone dam in Kachin State was backed by China. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

6.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RANGOON — Despite environmental and sustained public opposition, Burma’s main business federation has called for more Chinese investment in hydropower projects on the country’s rivers.

Numerous plans have been announced to build major dams Burma’s two biggest rivers, the Irrawaddy and the Salween, and harness the huge amounts of potential energy on offer to address the country’s energy shortage.

One such project on the Irrawaddy River, backed by China, is the proposed Myitsone dam in Kachin State. But President Thein Sein has suspended the project indefinitely amid concerns that millions of Burmese downstream would be affected by a dam that would largely be providing power to China.

RelatedPosts

Eager to Please

Eager to Please

May 19, 2025
86
58 Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Target Civilians in Two Weeks

58 Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Target Civilians in Two Weeks

May 17, 2025
778
Regime’s Moscow Show Masks Military Collapse in Myanmar; and More

Regime’s Moscow Show Masks Military Collapse in Myanmar; and More

May 17, 2025
874

This week, the Union of Myanmar Federation Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) signed a trade cooperation deal with its counterpart in Guangdong province, China’s most economically productive region and industrial hub.

At a signing ceremony for the memorandum of understanding Monday, Cho Thiri Maung, a member of the UMFCCI’s central executive committee, told the Chinese delegation that Burma would prefer investment that adds value to goods inside Burma, rather than in extractive industries such as jade, coal and copper mining, where China is already the main investor in the country.

However, she said, investment in Burma’s power sector, in particular hydropower, was still welcome.

“The government allows independent power producers (IPP), and welcomes foreign investors. Most of the investments should go to the power sector,” she said, before pointing potential investors specifically to the opportunities in hydropower generation.

“We have so many rivers that can produce electricity through hydropower, and this can be considered a high-potential sector to invest in.”

The pitch was well-received by the Chinese, with Zhao Yufang, vice governor of Guangdong Province, professing interest in both adding value for exports, and helping to get at the country’s vast natural resources.

“We are interested in Myanmar [Burma] because of its good geographic position between India and China,” she said. “Also, Myanmar is very rich in natural resources like rivers, natural gas, jade and mineral resources.”

According to UMFCCI Vice President Zaw Min Win, China’s total investment in Burma is worth more than US$14.195 billion across 52 projects—the highest of any country.

“Both normal investment and border trade investment from China is increasing every year and China also stands first in terms of the value of cross-border trade, when compared with other neighboring countries,” he said.

The value of trade between China and Burma is estimated at more than $6 billion for 2013, an increase of 26.6 percent compared with 2012.

China’s role in Burma’s economy is a contentious subject. It is thought increasing reliance on China in the later days of Burma’s military regime was a key factor in the generals ceding power to a nominally civilian government in 2011 and embarking on reforms.

Environmentalists are critical of using the country’s rivers to fill the energy gap.

At a separate NGO-organized event in Rangoon on Tuesday, Tin Aye, the retired director of the Ministry of Forestry who takes a keen interest in environmental issues, warned of the damage damming the country’s rivers could do.

“Rivers should flow freely. The social impacts to downstream communities are caused by the environmental impact on upstream, all because this is the wrong policy for producing electricity,” he said, adding that unwise damming was also occurring for agricultural irrigation projects.

A coalition of environmental groups—including the Thailand-based Mekong Energy and Ecology Network, the Renewable Energy Association of Myanmar (REAM)and the Myanmar Green Network—has surveyed riverine communities on the Irrawaddy, and found widespread concerns about dams and the impact of fisheries downstream.

The groups also found worries over other negative impacts of increasing industrialization on the river. Tin Thit, chairman of Mandalay-based environmental group Seing Yaing So, said factories on the river, seepage of fertilizer into the water, mining projects and dredging were all causes for concern.

He also warned that while hydropower projects on the upper reaches of the Irrawaddy received a lot of attention, plans were being made to build large-scale dams on the Salween River, also known as the Thanlwin River.

Four Chinese hydropower projects on the Salween have been agreed by the government’s department of hydropower implementation since 2005, according to an official at the Ministry of Electric Power, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Two more Salween dams are reportedly backed by Thai firms and will export power to Thailand.

“There will be in total six dams on the Thanlwin River with a very high combined megawatt capacity,” the official said.

One UMFCCI member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, insisted that the organization, as a non-government body, was not responsible for investment decisions. The member also argued that support for increasing Chinese investment was not unanimous in the UMFCCI.

“Actually, I don’t like Chinese investment,” the member said. “They take less corporate social responsibility compared with Japan and other Western countries.

“But they can take risks more than other countries, that’s why Chinese leads in natural resources investment of Myanmar.”

Your Thoughts …
Soe Sandar Oo

Soe Sandar Oo

Similar Picks:

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang
Burma

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 28, 2023
98k

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army troops are opening roads and pathways through forests for people to flee Kokang’s capital as...

Read moreDetails
Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public
Burma

Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public

by The Irrawaddy
February 7, 2024
88.6k

People’s Defense Force says junta troops told every household in the village to send one member to witness the double...

Read moreDetails
Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
War Against the Junta

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

by The Irrawaddy
November 29, 2023
86.9k

Brotherhood Alliance member says it now has complete control of Kokang’s northernmost section after the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 125...

Read moreDetails
Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks
Burma

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

by The Irrawaddy
December 4, 2023
58.8k

The junta said deserters would not be punished for minor crimes, highlighting the military’s shortage of troops as resistance offensives...

Read moreDetails
As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue
Burma

As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue

by The Irrawaddy
April 19, 2024
46.6k

The junta’s No. 2 has not been seen in public since April 3, sparking rumors that he was either gravely...

Read moreDetails
Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow
Burma

Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow

by The Irrawaddy
February 12, 2024
44.4k

Ethnic armed grouping says it will continue Operation 1027 offensive until goal of ousting the junta is achieved. 

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
‘I Felt Like I Was Kicked in the Chest’

‘I Felt Like I Was Kicked in the Chest’

Kokang Rebels Blamed for Deadly Shan State Blasts

Kokang Rebels Blamed for Deadly Shan State Blasts

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Myanmar Junta Leader Scores Diplomatic Win With Xi Meeting in Moscow

Myanmar Junta Leader Scores Diplomatic Win With Xi Meeting in Moscow

4 days ago
1.1k
Silence Is Complicity in the Myanmar Junta’s Massacre of Children

Silence Is Complicity in the Myanmar Junta’s Massacre of Children

5 days ago
869

Most Read

  • Workers at Adidas Factory in Myanmar Strike for Living Wage

    Workers at Adidas Factory in Myanmar Strike for Living Wage

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Abandons Chinese Pipeline Amid Resistance Attacks

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 58 Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Target Civilians in Two Weeks

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Three Japanese Firms Ditch Myanmar Port Project

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Regime’s Moscow Show Masks Military Collapse in Myanmar; and More

    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.