China: BIG Neighbor, Big Money, Big Influence

The economic slowdown in China will not affect its position as Myanmar’s most important trade and investment partner, but there are challenges ahead.

While the rest of Southeast Asia has been reeling from China’s economic slowdown, Myanmar has remained relatively immune to the regional contagion with its economy likely to grow at least 8 per cent in the fiscal year ending March 31.

China has already accounted for a big share of foreign direct investment in fiscal 2015-16, with US$665.5 million by November, second only to Singapore’s $2.1 billion, show figures from the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration. China is still by far the single largest investor in Myanmar, with $15.4 billion since 1989, compared with Singapore’s $10.9 billion and Thailand’s $10.3 billion. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)