One of the poorest countries in the world, overrun with slums, yet unwilling to accept Chinese investment
When people talk about Myanmar, our neighboring country, most picture it as poor and backward. Although Myanmar has favorable natural conditions and abundant resources, and its jade and gemstones enjoy a world-famous reputation, because Myanmar has not yet adopted an opening-up policy, its economic development has been slow for decades, and it is one of the world's least developed countries. Reposted from the Baijiahao author: A Dong's Life
In recent decades, Myanmar has been mired in political turmoil and squeezed between several major powers, its economic development has been slow, and because the public favors Buddhism and does not pursue high personal living standards, what leaves the deepest impression on visitors is how dirty, chaotic and poor it is. According to UN-Habitat statistics, of Myanmar's 60 million people, about one third live below the poverty line, while 40 percent of Yangon's residents live in extreme poverty, barely able to feed and clothe themselves. In Yangon's Dagon Myothit and Dageta districts there are several huge slums where most of the poor live. Reposted from the Baijiahao author: A Dong's Life
Myanmar is regarded by Western countries as the last virgin land for investment. It has an untapped market, a very high national literacy rate, many people who speak English, and abundant natural resources on top of that. Myanmar is like a low-lying basin, and capital flowing there conforms to objective laws. European and American countries have recently been courting Myanmar one after another, and Myanmar has said it wants to open up. Yet Myanmar does not particularly welcome Chinese investment. Reposted from the Baijiahao author: A Dong's Life
Take one example. Many people know about the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, but few know about the Little Golden Pagoda. The Little Golden Pagoda in the city center stands in the middle of a road, with the road running around it. During the British colonial period, when the British were building city roads in Yangon, whenever a road met a pagoda, the road yielded to the pagoda. But when our country's investors encountered this, they did things differently. Buddhism has been in Myanmar for over a thousand years, and religious thinking has penetrated every corner of social life. A few years ago a Chinese company was doing mining in Myanmar, originally a win-win project, but because the mine required a local pagoda to be relocated, it triggered strong resentment among local people
For this reason, Myanmar has always harbored resentment over Chinese investment. From Myanmar's perspective, as a relatively small country, it often plays both sides amid competition among major powers; although it has historically been friendly with China, it has always sought to improve relations with Western countries. Viewers, what measures do you think Chinese companies should take when investing in Myanmar? Reposted from the Baijiahao author: A Dong's Life