By REUTERS 11 December 2017 Burma will delay a long-awaited reform that would open the door further to foreign investment, two officials told Reuters, a move likely to disappoint cash-starved businesses amid growing doubts over the management of the economy by the country’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. The postponement of the corporate reform, which would have allowed foreign companies to take up to a 35 percent stake in Burmese companies, will likely deal a fresh blow to investor confidence in Suu Kyi’s administration. Economic reform is a key goal for her to complete Burma’s democratic transition after decades of isolation under military rule. The delay underscores the daunting challenge facing Suu Kyi, whose promise of a reformist government that would attract foreign investment is under threat. Some aid to Burma, officially known as Myanmar, is already being withheld and investors are concerned that the sanctions that long hobbled the country’s economy will be reinstated over ...

January 24, 2016 The end of 2015 saw a series of major announcements and decisions regarding Myanmar’s latest special economic zone (SEZ) in Kyaukphyu township of Rakhine State. In late December, Myanmar’s government approved the  demarcation  of land for the SEZ and awarded tenders to develop the SEZ to a  CITIC Group-led consortium . The Kyaukphyu SEZ is a key part of Myanmar’s drive to attract foreign direct investment. It is one of three such zones set up since the military-backed USDP took over power from the Tatmadaw military junta via elections in 2011. Kyaukphyu’s SEZ includes three projects: a deep-sea port, an industrial park, and a housing project. Optimistic projections suggest the SEZ may boost Myanmar’s GDP by as much as 10 billion USD annually. Failure, on the other hand, could undermine confidence in similar investment projects throughout the emerging economy. The CITIC-led consortium chosen to develop the SEZ’s port and industrial park is compo...

China’s push to re-engage with its southern neighbour may have unexpected costs S ince coming to power in 2011, Myanmar’s President Thein Sein has distanced the country from its previously tight-knit relationship with China in favour of rapprochement with the west and Japan. Yet the past few months have seen a determined push by Beijing to re-engage Myanmar economically and politically, reminding Naypyidaw that it sees the country as a key strategic neighbour, particularly in the wake of recent general elections. High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights.  So Chinese officials will have looked on approvingly on December 30 when Myanmar’s parliament gave the go-ahead to the first phase of the Kyaukpyu special economic zone, awarded to a consortium of most...

Myanmar receives a massive inflow of foreign investments into sectors that produce short-term benefits, despite efforts to boost investment in agriculture and infrastructure sectors, said Aung Naing Oo, the director-general of the Directorate of Investments and Companies Administration. Aung Naing Oo said: “Most investments are flowing into the manufacturing sector because factories can be set up easily. Entrepreneurs can get the benefits from the distribution of products to local and foreign markets in a short period of time.” Myanmar has granted permits for foreign investments in the farming, livestock, fishery, production, energy, oil and gas, construction, transportation, telecommunication, hotels and tourism, real estate, industrial estate and services sectors. During the first five-month period of this fiscal year, the government gave the green-light to investments in the manufacturing, oil and gas, hotels and tourism, transportation, telecom, real estate and se...