Development of soft and hard
infrastructure is needed to boost trade between Myanmar and
its western neighbours – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal –
which at the moment lags behind trade with China and Southeast
Asian countries according to government, business leaders and
experts.
India’s Ambassador to Myanmar Vikram Misri said that it is not
enough to focus on building “hard infrastructure of transport
corridors like roads, bridges, ports” and others to move trade
forward.
“It is also important to supplement hard infrastructure with
soft infrastructure like trade facilitation agreements, border
infrastructure, border-crossing agreements and motor vehicle
agreements that enable both passengers and cargo traffic to
move between countries,” he said during a recent meeting of
senior Myanmar officials, businessmen and international
experts in Nay Pyi Taw.
The meeting, “Creating an Enabling and Inclusive Policy and
Political Economy Discourse for Trade, Transport and Transit
Facilitation in and among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and
Myanmar,” was organised by Marketing Research and Development
in partnership with India’s Consumer Unity & Trust Society
International.
Aside from developing hard and soft infrastructure, the
participants also outlined the different issues that impede
trade and connectivity between regional countries, such as
security issues on the Myanmar-India border.
The participants also noted some development projects that
have potential to promote connectivity between Myanmar and its
western neighbours, such as the Kaladan multi-model transit
transport project, which could become an alternative corridor
between Myanmar and India if completed, and the
India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway which is under
development.
They also underscored the need for Myanmar to come up with a
policy for cross-border transport agreements with Bhutan,
Bangladesh, India and Nepal, similar to the plan for the
Greater Mekong Subregion or the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations framework.
Likewise, they stressed the need to strengthen bilateral
relations between Myanmar and Bangladesh in terms of trade and
connectivity, as well as the need to pour development
initiatives in Rakhine State.
This news item can also be viewed at:
https://www.mmtimes.com/
Hard and
soft infrastructure needed to boost Myanmar trade with neighbours to the west
MM Times, June 15, 2018
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