Myanmar must snub West’s rabble-rousing

[TaiShang]

Myanmar must snub West’s rabble-rousing

The New York Times on Saturday published a vitriolic editorial lashing out at China. The piece claimed that China is unleashing "a wholesale looting of Myanmar's valuable natural resources" in the form of "outright theft" and "crony capitalism." It enumerated the devastating damage China has made to Myanmar's resources such as cutting down rosewood and smuggling wild animals. It also blamed China for the death of one local villager in a recent protest against the Chinese-backed Letpadaung copper mine. The editorial, in conclusion, called for a halt to this "plunder" under the name of "the people of Myanmar."

In this editorial, China is portrayed as a hooligan who played on Myanmar's ignorance, while the US elites were impartial and upheld justice for those weak nations. For a long time, Western public opinion has characterized China's economic activities in other developing countries as exploitative for resources. The West may believe China is as greedy as their ancestors were, who traded slaves and stripped as much wealth from their colonies as they could.

The activities of some Chinese dealers in Myanmar are problematic. However, it's worth noting that the Chinese government is firmly against any illicit acts such as destructive mining, wildlife trafficking and illegal timber sales. It takes a particularly harsh attitude against drug trafficking. There is no correlation between the immoral performance of a minority of Chinese and China's Myanmar policy. By confounding the two, the New York Times deliberately intends to disseminate hostility against China in Myanmar society.

The New York Times emphasized human rights in its editorial. However, it is US sanctions against Myanmar over the past decades that made the once bountiful country fall into backwardness and lose its material guarantee for human rights. The editorial board of the New York Times is supposed to well understand how Western countries built their prosperity upon exploitation of the Third World. Those countries were impoverished by centuries of colonial rule. Until now, some Westerners still treat the Third World in a superior manner. The New York Times, preaching like a savior in its editorial, told Myanmar to distance itself from China, in an attempt to drive a wedge between China and Myanmar.

Even opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has expressed regret over the resistance against Chinese-invested projects such as the Letpadaung copper mine. The Western media has played a bad role in messing up Chinese investments in Myanmar. China and Myanmar need to address their trade problems with sincerity, which requires Myanmar to keep alert to this Western rabble-rousing. Institutions like the New York Times consider Myanmar as a pawn. They don't care about Myanmar's progress but rather how the country will help to drag China down. As long as Myanmar stays independent, it will see through the tricks of Western media such as the New York Times.

 

[JSCh]

All I will say is, a prosperous and stable Myanmar is in China national interest.

It might not be the case for some others.

 

[TaiShang]

China’s focus on deepening ties with Latin America has impacted U.S. engagement with Myanmar

China is feeling the heat in Myanmar — a country which is central to Beijing’s energy security and Silk Road plans — following Washington’s push to entrench itself in Nay Pyi Daw.

The website Duowei run by overseas Chinese is reporting that China’s focus on deepening ties with Latin American countries, in Washington’s backyard, has impacted on the decision by the United States to energise its engagement with Myanmar.

Analysts say Yunnan — China’s strategic province, which is one of the starting points of President Xi Jinping’s 21st century Maritime Silk Road (MSR) project — could be the ultimate target of American inroads in Myanmar. Yunnan is China’s gateway to Southeast Asia, sharing common borders with Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.

The contest for influence seems to be peaking in the run-up to the October elections in Myanmar, whose results are likely to define the country’s geopolitical gradient.

According to Duowei, talks on human rights between the U.S. and Myanmar took place between January 11 and 15. But apart from the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour Tom Malinowski, who headed the delegation, two senior officials from the U.S. Pacific Command — Lieutenant General Anthony Crutchfield, as well as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for East Asia, David F. Helvey also joined the dialogue. Gen. Crutchfield also paid a visit to Myitkyina in Kachin state, the region embroiled in a civil war. A Chinese consular delegation is currently visiting Myitkyina, to ascertain whether some Chinese citizens were trapped in the Kachin state amid armed clashes.

Observers say that any deterioration of the situation following an intensification of fighting between the Myanmar’s government forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) should worry China, as it could trigger a flood of refugees towards Yunnan, which is not far from that zone.

The website Sina Military Network is reporting that should Myanmar’s army attack Pharkant, one of the main Kachin bases, which is close to the Chinese border, it could trigger refugee flows into Yunnan, a situation similar to 2009, when there was an outpouring of refugees, following an attack by government troops in the Kokang Special Region, which borders Yunnan.

Any refugee exodus can flare social tensions as the Kachin people belong to the same ethnic group as the Jingpo people who reside in the Yunnan province, and would be naturally empathetic to those displaced across the border. Instability in northern Myanmar also has economic implications as China is a major market for jade, gemstones and teak, which originates in the Kachin hills.

For China, a loss of turf in Myanmar can remove one of the hinges of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the MSR — both essential to integrate the economies of Asia and Europe, with China as the hub. China has signed an agreement to build a railroad from Myanmar’s port of Kyaukpyu on the Bay of Bengal to its Yunnan province. But the implementation of the project, which would help China to evade the Malacca straits — an international trade artery in waters dominated by the U.S. — is encountering serious difficulties. These obstructions could multiply if a pro-Washington government takes charge in Nay Pyi Daw, following the elections.

Kyaukpyu is also the starting point of a gas and oil pipeline that heads towards Yunnan. Analysts say that Beijing is already wary of local protests against the project, which could multiply if an unfriendly government takes charge in Myanmar.

 

[Bussard Ramjet]

Myanmar must snub West’s rabble-rousing

The New York Times on Saturday published a vitriolic editorial lashing out at China. The piece claimed that China is unleashing "a wholesale looting of Myanmar's valuable natural resources" in the form of "outright theft" and "crony capitalism." It enumerated the devastating damage China has made to Myanmar's resources such as cutting down rosewood and smuggling wild animals. It also blamed China for the death of one local villager in a recent protest against the Chinese-backed Letpadaung copper mine. The editorial, in conclusion, called for a halt to this "plunder" under the name of "the people of Myanmar."

In this editorial, China is portrayed as a hooligan who played on Myanmar's ignorance, while the US elites were impartial and upheld justice for those weak nations. For a long time, Western public opinion has characterized China's economic activities in other developing countries as exploitative for resources. The West may believe China is as greedy as their ancestors were, who traded slaves and stripped as much wealth from their colonies as they could.

The activities of some Chinese dealers in Myanmar are problematic. However, it's worth noting that the Chinese government is firmly against any illicit acts such as destructive mining, wildlife trafficking and illegal timber sales. It takes a particularly harsh attitude against drug trafficking. There is no correlation between the immoral performance of a minority of Chinese and China's Myanmar policy. By confounding the two, the New York Times deliberately intends to disseminate hostility against China in Myanmar society.

The New York Times emphasized human rights in its editorial. However, it is US sanctions against Myanmar over the past decades that made the once bountiful country fall into backwardness and lose its material guarantee for human rights. The editorial board of the New York Times is supposed to well understand how Western countries built their prosperity upon exploitation of the Third World. Those countries were impoverished by centuries of colonial rule. Until now, some Westerners still treat the Third World in a superior manner. The New York Times, preaching like a savior in its editorial, told Myanmar to distance itself from China, in an attempt to drive a wedge between China and Myanmar.

Even opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has expressed regret over the resistance against Chinese-invested projects such as the Letpadaung copper mine. The Western media has played a bad role in messing up Chinese investments in Myanmar. China and Myanmar need to address their trade problems with sincerity, which requires Myanmar to keep alert to this Western rabble-rousing. Institutions like the New York Times consider Myanmar as a pawn. They don't care about Myanmar's progress but rather how the country will help to drag China down. As long as Myanmar stays independent, it will see through the tricks of Western media such as the New York Times.

Where is this from? Main Source?

 

[TaiShang]

Refinery deal in Myanmar key for Guangdong Zhenrong Energy
2015-01-27

Guangdong Zhenrong Energy Co, a major Chinese bulk commodity trader, expects the country's "One Belt One Road" strategy to help boost its overseas investments, which in its case includes a planned massive oil refinery in Myanmar.

The country's New Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road strategies were launched in 2013 to further open up to the rest of the world and speed up infrastructure connectivity in the region.

The proposed Myanmar refinery, with an expected annual processing capacity of 5 million metric tons of crude oil, has been submitted by the Guangdong provincial government to the State Council under the strategy, said Cui Yi, director general of Zhenrong Energy's refining and petrochemical department.

He said the company also expects to benefit from policies within the strategy to develop other overseas petrochemical industrial parks.

Zhenrong Energy received the go-ahead for the $2.9 billion Myanmar project from the National Development and Reform Commission in November and is currently applying for state approval from the authorities in Myanmar.

Myanmar's laws on foreign investment were amended in August last year and now require participation in any new petrochemical project by its own Ministry of Energy. Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd and Myanmar's HTOO Group of Companies are already joint venture partners in the project.

Located in the Dawei special economic zone in southern Myanmar, the complex will become the largest refinery in the country when completed, Cui said, and is expected to play a key part in the raising of professional standards in the country's petrochemicals industry.

Its facilities will include the construction of a 150,000-ton crude oil dock, two refined oil docks, warehousing and logistics facilities, a power plant, and a network of gas, and liquefied petroleum gas stations.

Products from the refinery will mainly satisfy the Myanmar market, with the surplus to be exported.

Cui said the refinery's plans date back to 2009 when Zhenrong Energy's Chairman Xiong Shaohui first learned how the country's refining technology had remained low. Myanmar still imports more than 80 percent of the refined oil products it needs.

A memorandum of understanding on the project was signed the following year with an environmental assessment then carried out in 2012, a year before the country's environmental protection law was passed.

The refinery is expected to adopt China's national IV environmental standards, the equivalent of the Euro IV standard, Cui said.

To assure local people about its environmental commitment to the project, the company invited a group of around 30 Myanmar villagers, monks and journalists to tour an oil refinery in Luoyang, Henan province, and oil exporting facilities in Guangdong in 2013.

In May last year, 1,370 villagers signed a letter in support of the refinery project, which was handed in to the country's president's office, the energy ministry and local governments.

"Although the investment environment in Myanmar has appeared to be unstable over the past two years－which slowed the pace by some investors－the reform and opening-up in Myanmar is accelerating," Cui said.

"The market is underdeveloped but still has a positive outlook and offers considerable opportunities. Although some risks exist, it is attracting increasing numbers of foreign investors."

Xiao Yaofei, a professor with the School of Economics and Trade, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, said China's "One Belt One Road" strategy, which is emphasizing future infrastructure connectivity with various countries, is expected to lay the foundations for foreign investment by Chinese firms.

Xiao said Zhenrong Energy's Myanmar project should also pave the way for other petrochemical-related investments by other Chinese firms, such as those engaged in chemicals manufacturing, for instance, and its support industries.

Founded in 2002, Zhenrong Energy generated 105.2 billion yuan ($16.8 billion) in revenue in 2013, including 65.2 billion yuan from international trade, ranking 139 among the top 500 Chinese companies. It is jointly owned by the State-owned Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp, one of the country's largest oil traders.

As the global refined oil trading sector becomes increasingly competitive, the company has placed overseas investment at its core and aims to become one of the world's top 500 multinationals in the next three to five years.

 

[Beidou2020]

Washington elites realises its power and influence is slipping with each passing year so its going rogue. Every despotic regime throughout history has done this, the United States is no different.

 

[JF-17-PAF]

Disgusting. The US is no leader of the world. It acts and behaves like a virus; infecting and foul. It's supposed "free, independent" media spits vitriol like venom from a poisonous snake against all who the US government opposes. I can't read these american or western articles without feeling pity for the average american mike and debbie being forced fed this anti-(country US opposes) propaganda garbage 24/7.

end rant/

 

[JSCh]

Win win .
Construction, not destruction.

China-Myanmar oil pipeline operational in Jan. - China.org.cn
By Chen Boyuan
China.org.cn, January 21, 2015

A crude oil pipeline linking southwest China and Myanmar's coastal city of Kyaukpyu is expected to be put into use at the end of this month and will serve as an alternative route for China's crude oil imports from the Middle East.

The pipeline is expected to have an annual capacity of 22 million tons of crude oil. Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise holds a 49.1 percent stake in the crude oil and 7.37 percent stake in the natural gas carried in the Sino-Myanmar Pipelines.

As per the agreement reached by the Burmese Ministry of Energy and the China National Petroleum Corporation, the Burmese government will collect US$13.6 million worth of toll fee in addition to US$1 for per ton of crude oil imports crossing Myanmar.

The pipelines, which stretch 771 kilometers in Myanmar, are a new strategic channel for China's energy imports. The construction of the pipelines began in 2010, and the natural gas pipeline became operational in late September 2013. Burmese energy officials said that the crude oil pipeline failed to become operational at the same time because an accompanying deep sea port was still under construction.

A spokesperson for CNPC said on Monday that a supporting refinery is 60 percent complete and will become operational later this year.

 

[TaiShang]

Win win .
Construction, not destruction.

China-Myanmar oil pipeline operational in Jan. - China.org.cn
By Chen Boyuan
China.org.cn, January 21, 2015

A crude oil pipeline linking southwest China and Myanmar's coastal city of Kyaukpyu is expected to be put into use at the end of this month and will serve as an alternative route for China's crude oil imports from the Middle East.

The pipeline is expected to have an annual capacity of 22 million tons of crude oil. Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise holds a 49.1 percent stake in the crude oil and 7.37 percent stake in the natural gas carried in the Sino-Myanmar Pipelines.

As per the agreement reached by the Burmese Ministry of Energy and the China National Petroleum Corporation, the Burmese government will collect US$13.6 million worth of toll fee in addition to US$1 for per ton of crude oil imports crossing Myanmar.

The pipelines, which stretch 771 kilometers in Myanmar, are a new strategic channel for China's energy imports. The construction of the pipelines began in 2010, and the natural gas pipeline became operational in late September 2013. Burmese energy officials said that the crude oil pipeline failed to become operational at the same time because an accompanying deep sea port was still under construction.

A spokesperson for CNPC said on Monday that a supporting refinery is 60 percent complete and will become operational later this year.

Good news. Looks like, despite obstacles, China's investment and development efforts are bearing fruits.

As the article says, the gas line has already started delivering for almost two years now.

Sour grapes will feel upset. LOL.

 

[Beidou2020]

Disgusting. The US is no leader of the world. It acts and behaves like a virus; infecting and foul. It's supposed "free, independent" media spits vitriol like venom from a poisonous snake against all who the US government opposes. I can't read these american or western articles without feeling pity for the average american mike and debbie being forced fed this anti-(country US opposes) propaganda garbage 24/7.

end rant/

Western propaganda mouthpieces have become unbearable to read ever since the 2008 financial crash and the recovery of the Chinese economy and the success of the 2008 Olympics.

Washington is a cancer to the world and a cancer to the rest of America.

Most Americans utterly despise the fascists in charge in Washington.