"China, Myanmar revive hopes for Bay of Bengal deep water port in Kyaukphyu under Belt and Road Initiative" 29 December, 2023

China and the Myanmese military government have signed a supplementary agreement for the Kyaukphyu deep water port, as both sides seek to get the stalled Belt and Road Initiative project off the ground.

The renewed push for the project in Myanmar’s restive western Rakhine state comes amid escalating violence between ethnic rebel groups and the ruling junta, which has prompted repeated security warnings from the Chinese mission.

Chinese state-owned Citic Group will, as agreed in 2018, maintain a 70 per cent stake in the port, which is expected to give China access to the Bay of Bengal as an alternative route for oil imports...

Details of the addendum were not made public, but it is viewed as the latest sign that the key China-backed infrastructure project, which had made little progress since the military seized power in a coup in early 2021, is now back on track...

As the domestic conflict in Myanmar continues, there are growing signs that the military government – increasingly isolated by international sanctions since its 2021 coup – is looking to bring China-backed projects back on track...