Myanmar, Japan cooperate in promoting trade, investment

by Feng Yingqiu

YANGON, Nov. 1 -- A 30-member Japanese economic delegation is due to arrive here Monday to meet and discuss with businessmen from the Union of Myanmar Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) to seek ways of promoting trade and investment in the country, the UMFCCI, Myanmar's biggest private business organization said on Sunday.

The Japanese economic delegation is led by Sumitaka Fujita, Chairman of the Economic Cooperation Committee of the Japan-Myanmar Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The discussions will also attended by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Japanese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the sources said.

Myanmar and Japan have been cooperating in a number of sectors and in their latest development, the Myanmar industrial authorities are working together with Japanese entrepreneurs in quality garment production in a bid to boost the export to Japan as well as to expand its foreign market.

The Japanese entrepreneurs include those of JETRO, Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship (AOTS) and Juki Corporation,

These organizations have been providing for Myanmar staff at all-level trainings related to management, production and human resources since February this year.

Myanmar's garment export to Japan has been increasing annually and during last year, the country's export hit 135 million U.S. dollars, up 38 million dollars compared with 2007.

Japan takes up one third of Myanmar's garment export standing as Myanmar's largest garment exporting country, followed by England, Germany and Spain, according to statistics.

Meanwhile, the Mandalay City Development Committee and a Japanese consultation group are cooperating in launching a major project as one of the latest to build Myanmar's second largest city of Mandalay into an international standard one and the project will be implemented phase by phase in 25 years.

The 18-billion-US-dollar project covers building of eight zones which are outlined as regional economic zone, international economic zone, regional industrial zone, national culture zone, city administration zone, sports village, heavy industrial zone, products storing and distribution zone, and energy zone.

Of them, the energy zone will be constructed near the west bank of Dada-U township in Mandalay, the major trading and communications center for northern and central Myanmar.

It is expected that the completion of the Mandalay up gradation project will coincide with that of the Asian Highway which runs through Mandalay. By then, Mandalay would become a business hub of the region, experts said.

Besides, a Japanese technical team plans feasibility study on all-season waterways in Myanmar's storm-hit delta area to pave way for a new project to enable local people travel safely with ships plying in the area.

Four waterways-- Yangon-Maubin-Myaungmya-Laputta-Kanbe, Yangon-Kyaiklatt-Bogalay-Mawlamyinegyun, Myaungmya-Pathein and Kyaiklatt-Phaypon, are under study to find out needs for renovation of maritime facilities destroyed by May storm last year.

The Japanese technicians are expected to complete the study at their own cost within this year and start work next year.

Moreover, as part of its human resources aid to Myanmar, Japan offered scholarship to Myanmar students for the academic year 2008-09 which was a follow-up of Japanese grant assistance for human resources development scholarship which worth 407 million yens (3.3 million U.S. dollars) along with another project of afforestation in the dry zone in the previous year.

Japan's human resources scholarship project, which started in 2002, offers opportunities to promising youths of Myanmar, both from government and non-governmental organizations, for further study at Japanese universities to attain masters' degrees.

Japan's investment in Myanmar, according to figures, so far amounted to 216.76 million U.S. dollars in 23 projects since 1988 and Japan ranks the 6th in Myanmar's exporting countries line-up with nearly 200 million dollars.