China to build strategic highway in Myanmar: Xinhua

Asian Economic News, Dec 13, 2004

YANGON, Dec. 9 Kyodo

China will rebuild a strategic road inside Myanmar that would connect China's landlocked southwestern Yunnan Province with Myanmar's northern port of Bhamo to further boost ''exchanges'' between China and Southeast Asia, Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday.

Chinese and Myanmar officials recently signed a 28 million yuan ($3.38 million) agreement to renovate the 79-kilometer highway, the official Chinese news agency said.

The highway extends south into Myanmar from the Chinese border town of Zhangfeng in Yunnan Province to Bhamo in Myanmar's northern Kachin State.

The current Zhangfeng-Bhamo highway is not an ''all-weather road'' and unavailable in the rainy season.

Because of its proximity to Bhamo, Zhangfeng has become an important trading center for China with South and Southeast Asia, Xinhua said.

According to a recent Myanmar official report, the agreement to construct the highway was signed in Yangon on Nov. 4, between China's Zhangfeng-Momauk Road construction company and Myanmar's Construction Ministry.

The highway is expected to open for traffic again at the end of 2006.