China has a new multimodal route to the Indian Ocean, easing its reliance on the crowded Malacca Strait and underlining the pull it has over Southeast Asia.
The new route links Myanmar’s business centre Yangon with the border town of Chinshwehaw in Myanmar’s Shan State which lies across the border from Yunnan province where a new rail link to Chengdu in the southwestern province of Sichuan has just opened.
Yangon to the border will be served by trucks, which will limit capacity on the route, sources told Asia Cargo News.
“Successful testing of the new Indian Ocean route is an important breakthrough in strengthening China-Myanmar trade relations,” the Chinese embassy said on its Facebook page.
China is billing the connection as an important node of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and a new chapter in the history of friendly “pauk-phaw” relations between Myanmar and China. It also reflects the increasing pull of China over Southeast Asia, a key part of which is increasing transport links.
While initial volumes on the route are likely to be small given the road situation in Myanmar, the new line has advantages for China beyond improved connections with Myanmar.
It not only eases the Malacca Strait problems, but it also opens up the western and underdeveloped parts of China.
Supporting this is the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), another part of the BRI.
This involves two preexisting pipelines from Myanmar’s coast to Yunnan, a planned deep seaport at Kyaukphyu on the Andaman Sea and the construction of an expressway and a new railway line from the border towns of Muse (Myanmar) and Ruili (China) to Mandalay with branch lines to Yangon and Kyaukphyu. These are expected to trigger the creation of border trade zones.
Michael Mackey
