A Tale of Hope and DespairA stretch of projects paving their way from Yunnan province of China, enters into the capital Mandalay, Myanmar, creating an inverted “Y” s

A stretch of projects paving their way from Yunnan province of China, enters into the capital Mandalay, Myanmar, creating an inverted “Y” shape as the one end reaches to Kyaukpyu in the western Myanmar and another end reaches to Yangon in the south; forms the geographical framework of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor. 

For China, CMEC is a part of its wider geopolitical game, while for Myanmar, it is crucial for its own energy infrastructure, as the project promises streamlining of nation’s energy resources into a coherent infrastructure, that on prima facie appears mutually beneficial for all political factions within Myanmar, something on what China intends to hedge, for completion of connectivity projects.

One of the most interesting projects within CMEC is the

 LNG terminal and LNG fired power plant in Ayeyarwady region. The project is a joint venture between three Chinese companies: Union Resources and Engineering Company (41%), Yunnan Energy Investment (39%) and Zhefu Holding Group (1%) and Myanmar’s Supreme Group (19%). It is set for commercial operation in 2027 and stays insulated from the power struggles within the domestic politics of Myanmar.

, that has remained stable due to a tacit political arrangement between the local Arakan rebel and Myanmar military since it is crucial for the energy needs of all the parties within Myanmar. The power plant is run by Power-China Corporation with 135 MW installed capacity and generates 1 billion kWh electricity annually.

However, when it comes to transportation projects, the report has not been so great, especially in the northern border area. 

has been rallied steeply since it cuts through Shan state connecting seven armed rebels with no permanent allegiance amongst each other or the military junta. However, the Kyaukpyu deep sea water port has been expedited by the junta after a sabbatical of five years since it was proposed. 

From this, one can witness a tacit consensus amongst the rival political factions of Myanmar when it comes to the nation's energy security, while connectivity projects fail to reach such a consensus. However, a hope prevails within Chinese diplomats as China continues to deal with different armed rebels in the northern border to bring CMEC connectivity projects back on track.

China Myanmar Economic Corridor

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