China—ASEAN （Yangon） Trade Fair 2018： A Window Into Investment in Myanmar

Written by Li Yizhi / Translated by Wu Sheng

China-ASEAN （Yangon） Trade Fair 2018 （hereinafter referred to as “Yangon Trade Fair”）， co-organized by Foreign Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce of China， China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat， Myanmar Trade Promotion Organization， and Worldex-Singex Exhibitions （Guangzhou） Co.， Ltd.， will be held on May 17-19， 2018.

As of March 31， 2018， work on exhibitor invitation of Yangon Trade Fair has been basically completed. More than 200 exhibition booths have been booked up， which exceeds all expectations. Among the exhibitors， there are some enterprises that have established a sound reputation in China， and even are influential in ASEAN countries， such as Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor Co.， Ltd.， Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Group Co.， Ltd. and SGMW.

In the past， even those established Chinese enterprises would inevitably have some misgivings in their efforts to “go global”， especially in investing in some ASEAN developing countries. Unfamiliarity with investment environment and worries about the uncertainties in investment prospect could deter enterprises from seeking more business opportunities. So， these enterprises were in desperate need of a “window” into local investment environment.

China-ASEAN （Yangon） Trade Fair 2018： A window on investment in Myanmar

An important purpose of China-ASEAN （Yangon） Trade Fair 2018 is to build a reliable and professional platform for Chinese enterprises wishing to invest in Myanmar， thus to address their concerns in “going global” and deepen economic and trade cooperation between China and Myanmar.

The Myanmar professional buyers invited to Yangon Trade Fair include importers， dealers， chain supermarkets， chain hotels， government purchasers and related industrial associations. The Myanmar large enterprises invited include Nation Electronic Industrial Co.， Ltd. and City Mart Holding Co.， Ltd. And enterprises under the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry will also be invited.

Given all these facts， not only can exhibitors have face-to-face communication with local buyers， showcasing the advantages of their products and expanding sales channels； they can also gain more direct and deeper insights into local market demand， and adjust their corporate strategies accordingly.

Following the successful experience of the past overseas exhibitions， the organizers have collaborated with relevant economic and trade departments of Myanmar to hold Yangon Trade Fair. In order to further the exploration of Yangon Trade Fair towards market-orientation， the organizers are also bold in introducing some organizations with experience in holding international exhibitions， such as Worldex-Singex Exhibitions （Guangzhou） Co.， Ltd.

Like many past overseas exhibitions， multiple means of dissemination have been used for the publicity of Yangon Trade Fair， including advertisements in local mainstream newspapers， magazines and on radio， and promotions on popular social media.

Myanmars rapid economic and social development

The exhibits in Yangon Trade Fair include building materials， hardware and lighting products， machinery and generators， electronics and household appliances， daily-use products， autos， motorcycles and parts. Such types of exhibits are based on the needs of both Myanmars domestic market and Chinas enterprises.

As the second largest country in ASEAN， Myanmar boasts vast potential for development with its good geographical advantage， rich resources and abundant young and middle-aged labor force. It is also an important participant in Chinas efforts to advance the Belt and Road Initiative with ASEAN.

Since the new government took office in 2013， Myanmars economy and society have experienced profound changes in many fronts. The new government has unveiled a range of proactive trade policies， eased the curbs on free import of many merchandises， increasing the number of merchandises through free import to 593， and relaxed controls on communication， automobiles and motorcycles.

Myanmar is now implementing market-based economic policies. In early 2017， the new Myanmar Investment Law came into force. Myanmar Investment Commission said that in years to come， more sectors will be open to overseas investment and Myanmar will provide convenient and efficient service for overseas investors in accordance with the new Myanmar Investment Law.

Myanmars economy is growing rapidly. According to China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat， Myanmars growth rate in the fiscal year of 2017-2018 is projected to be 8%， representing the fastest growth among ASEAN countries， and nearly 1 percentage point higher than that of Cambodia in the second place.

Forecasts on Myanmars economy by the Development Policy & Analysis Division of United Nations show that， Myanmar will lift out of the Least Developed Countries by 2021.

Despite the remarkable achievements in economy， Myanmar still remains a least developed country that entails development in all industries and sectors. Considerable amounts of resources are needed for the development in all areas of this country.

Ambassador of Myanmar to China： Business cooperation welcome in Myanmar

China， a northern neighbor as well as baobo （brother） of Myanmar， has provided a wealth of resources for its economic and social development.

According to the Ministry of Commerce of Myanmar， during the fiscal year of 2016-2017， the total trade volume between China and Myanmar was valued at US$ 10.756 billion. Due to the strong complementarity between Chinese and Myanmar goods and convenient transportation， China has been the biggest trading partner and source of investment for Myanmar for many years.

It is written on the official website of China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat that “After Myanmars new government came to power， the economic and trade cooperation between China and Myanmar has been deepened.” During the 1st Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing in May 2017， China and Myanmar signed several memoranda of understanding， which indicated that friendly exchanges in various areas between the two countries entered a stage of speedy development.

“The economic and trade cooperation between China and Myanmar is promising， and we welcome investment in all areas into Myanmar，” said U Thit Linn Ohn， Ambassador of Myanmar to China， in an interview with China-ASEAN Panorama. He hopes that Myanmar can cooperate with more Chinese enterprises， thus to usher in greater development opportunities， promote bilateral trade， and expand the business network between the two countries.

For China， Myanmar is more than a trading partner. In addition to its role in the Belt and Road Initiative， Myanmar also serves as an important supporting power for China to pursue sustainable economic development， bring benefits to its people， and carry out exchanges and cooperation with ASEAN and South Asian countries.

Against the backdrop of deeper economic， trade， political and cultural exchanges and closer China-Myanmar relations， Yangon Trade Fair will provide more opportunities for collaboration between Chinese and Myanmar enterprises and ensure more economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Up to now， China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat has accumulated four years of experience in organizing overseas exhibitions. For example， it successfully organized China-ASEAN Expo Mechanical & Electronic Products Exhibition （Vietnam） 2017 （hereinafter referred to as “Vietnam Exhibition”） on June 15-17， 2017， and made fruitful achievements.

Vietnam Exhibition has now been built into an annual exhibition under China-ASEAN Expo. Like Vietnam， Myanmar boasts a fast growing economy while there is still room for further development in all aspects.