Has the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor been coldly received?
China and Myanmar recently signed a memorandum of understanding on the joint construction of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor in Beijing. Although the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor is the second time that China proposes to establish economic corridors with a single country after proposing the "six major economic corridors," the current response to the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor is not as enthusiastic as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and even It's still a little cold, what's the mystery in this?
Investigating the reasons, we believe that it should include at least the following aspects. First, although China and Myanmar signed a memorandum of understanding on the joint construction of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (September 9), the Chinese government had already proposed the concept of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor as early as last year, but it is time for us to write an article. At the time (September 19), the full text of the Chinese and English versions of the memorandum of understanding on the joint establishment of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor was still not available on the official websites of China and Myanmar. As the relevant documents and related details are still lacking, the outside world naturally has no way to make it. More analysis and comments.
Second, it may have something to do with the deliberately low profile of the Chinese government. Some “Belt and Road” projects have had a lot of painful lessons before, that is, if the project has not been done, it is said, or it is said that it is done. This is not only easy to attract the suspicion of other countries, but also if there is a gap in the project progress, it is easy to fall Talking, and being attacked. Therefore, for the construction of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, it may be a better way to do more and less talk and make a lot of money. On the one hand, it can prevent the occurrence of "the thin field is not cultivated, and there are people fighting for it". On the other hand, it can also prevent problems in the corridor construction in the future, and it will not cause too much attention from the outside world and invisible pressure. , China and Myanmar can have more time and space to resolve possible problems.
Third, many companies are holding a wait-and-see attitude towards investing in Myanmar. Many Asian countries that claim to have good relations with the Chinese government, such as Malaysia, have requested the cancellation or amendment of previously signed contracts due to political parties taking turns to take office. This kind of trick has seriously damaged the country’s international image and Reputation makes foreign companies who want to invest in these countries worry that they will enjoy the same "treatment." Therefore, due to the temporary poor overall investment environment of many Southeast Asian countries, foreign companies, including Chinese companies, are taking a wait-and-see attitude towards investing in Myanmar and Southeast Asian countries.
Even if China and Myanmar have signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, Chinese companies, especially private companies, should pay special attention to the following factors if they invest in Myanmar.
First, Burmese businessmen, especially Burmese Chinese businessmen, are very familiar with all kinds of situations in China, but Chinese companies may not know the situation in Myanmar very well. This is prone to unfavorable situations in which Burmese businessmen are in the dark and Chinese investors are in the dark.
Myanmar should be a country in Southeast Asia that knows China very well. During our visit to Myanmar, we had exchanges with many Myanmar business leaders. They have a good understanding of China's policies since the reform and opening up. Some people are even more familiar with the "Belt and Road" initiative, and even know what loopholes Myanmar can use. Another very interesting phenomenon is that when we watch TV programs in most four-star or five-star hotels in Southeast Asian countries, we can basically only see CCTV 4 (Chinese International Channel of China Central Television) and Phoenix TV station, but in Myanmar hotels, in addition to the above two TV channels, you can also see CCTV 2 (China Central Television Finance Channel), this channel is dedicated to reporting China's latest economic policies, economic conditions and development trends. We are communicating with the Myanmar business community and it is obvious that a lot of their information comes from CCTV 2.
Chinese companies that are going to invest in Myanmar need to think about whether they can watch Myanmar TV stations and whether they can understand Myanmar TV stations and how deep they understand Myanmar before investing.
Second, Chinese private enterprises invest in Myanmar as far as possible "to go lightly" and avoid "going forward with heavy burdens." The recent "unpleasant" experience of Chinese companies being maliciously called to stop related projects in Malaysia tells everyone that if they invest too many and too "heavy" projects in other countries, they are easy to become "hostages". In the case of riding a tiger, Chinese companies, especially China Private enterprises are often easy to compromise and incur losses. This is just as the author (Liang Haiming) wrote on the FT Chinese website more than three years ago. Judging from the historical experience of global multinational companies, such "heavy" projects as high-speed rail, aerospace technology, ports and real estate must achieve breakthroughs and even take root. , It is not easy. In addition to having location advantages (Location Based a Advantages), companies that can thrive due to the rapid development of their countries and regions, they must also have a mature global network, that is, System Based Advantages. For most of the relatively young and inexperienced companies in China, they can be said to be more difficult to bear.
Therefore, for Chinese private enterprises, instead of being "heavy", it is better to invest in some industries in Myanmar that can be "light-packed", such as smart cities, Internet products, cross-border e-commerce, medicine and daily necessities. On the one hand, it is because of these " "Light" projects are not heavy and have low thresholds. On the other hand, they are relatively small and easy to turn around.
In addition, Myanmar's agriculture, especially aquaculture, also deserves the attention of Chinese private enterprises. People who may have been to Myanmar have heard the joke about "Only fish that grow in Myanmar can they die in peace". Myanmar is one of the countries with the richest fishery resources in Southeast Asia, but the corresponding is due to the backward infrastructure. As a result, its breeding level, fishing level and capacity, aquatic product processing capacity and quick-freezing equipment are relatively backward, which is a huge business opportunity for Chinese companies. What's more, the development of aquaculture involves people's livelihood and can bring tangible benefits to the people of Myanmar, and related investments are easily supported and supported.
Third, Chinese private enterprises should consider cooperating with Western companies such as Europe, America and Japan to jointly invest in Myanmar. Burma was once a British colony and was once occupied by Japan. Many Burmese people have a "foreign" mentality, ranking first in European and American products, followed by products from Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and then products from their own countries. Products produced in China are not discriminatory against Chinese products. They are the result of consumption habits and long-term perceptions. It may take decades to change these consumption habits and perceptions.
Given the consumption habits and perceptions of the Burmese people, Chinese private enterprises should actively consider co-investing in Burma with countries such as Europe, America and Japan if they want to enter the Burmese market. There is no other reason. Western companies have deep historical connections and rich contacts in Myanmar, and joint investment is beneficial to share investment risks and political risks. At the same time, this kind of "third-party market cooperation" can also reduce the possible confrontation between Chinese private enterprises and Western enterprises when they independently invest in Myanmar, and increase the space for hedging and cooperation.