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Days before Malaysia's Prime Minister's visited Myanmar, his envoyto the country made a telling comment. "It is widely expected that the visit will focus on economicissues," he told a group of journalists just before the visittwo months ago, and added: "Everybody is interested inMyanmar. If you are late, all the opportunities will begone." That sentiment must be high on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's mindas he embarks on a visit to the country on Sunday. It is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 25 years, buthe is already one among a host of other world leaders who have beenbeating a path to Myanmar after U.S. Secretary of State HillaryClinton's visit last year signalled the approval of the country'spolitical reforms. Following the E.U and other countries, the U.S. announced last weekthat except arms sales, it would suspend all sanctions againstMyanmar. The move came after the Myanmar government initiated aseries of political reforms starting 2010 that have seen therelease from nearly two decades of house arrest of Aung San SuuKyi, and the democracy icon's election to parliament last month. The easing of sanctions will also enable world financialinstitutions to establish relations with the country, besidesfacilitating aid from individual nations. The U.S. has announcedthat it will appoint an ambassador to Myanmar, after nearly twodecades of downgraded diplomatic relations. It was no surprise then that this past week, when protests eruptedin Yangon and Mandalay against power outages, the Myanmargovernment announced it was buying, on an emergency basis, sixgenerators from the U.S company, Caterpillar, which would beair-freighted into the country within days; plus, it would buy two25-MW gas turbines from General Electric. At one time the largest donor to Myanmar, Japan stopped giving aidfrom 2003 so as not to upset the U.S and EU, though it did not haveany sanctions against the country. Now, it is in discussions withNaypitaw for the "Most Favoured Nation" status, afterwriting off $ 3.1-billion pre-2003 debts owed to it by Myanmar. New Delhi spurned the sanctions treatment to Myanmar. Bar a shortperiod of disengagement in the 1990s, it assiduously competed withChina to cultivate the Myanmarese military rulers over objectionsby the U.S and other western countries. But such is the gold rush to Myanmar that despite its early moveradvantage, India, which shares a 1,600-km boundary with thecountry, and has long ethnic, religious and cultural links, stillfinds itself scrambling with not just China, but the rest of theworld for a share of the pie. A delegation of 25 Indian CEOs, representing all sectors of Indianindustry, will also visit Myanmar during the Prime Minister'sthree-day visit. Of the companies they represent, at least threealready have contracts in Myanmar — one for an onshore oilexploration project, a second on a solar energy project, and oneeven working on constructing a pipeline to China. During his visit, Dr. Singh will hold bilateral discussions withPresident Thein Sein, but his meeting with Ms. Suu Kyi, now theleader of the opposition in Myanmar's parliament, will be keenlywatched. The new political climate is obviously one in which New Delhi feelsmore comfortable doing business with Myanmar, even though itvirtually politically abandoned Ms. Suu Kyi in the last decade. India believes it has no choice but to engage with its neighbours,"irrespective of the situation" — Myanmar was nodifferent — and is convinced that it was this policy and thepressures it exerted privately on the military junta to undertakepolitical reform that have been vindicated. In a country where the people have grown only too conscious thatthe military rulers signed away too many of the country's resourcesinto outside hands, particularly to China, India's engagement withMs. Suu Kyi, who is undeniably the only people's leader in Myanmar,would be important for its economic ambitions there. At a briefing for journalists ahead of the Prime Minister's visit,Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said India would flag its interestin seeing more Indian companies getting onshore and offshore oiland gas exploration projects, but also in other areas. The bilateral trade is worth $1.2 billion — almost two-thirdsof that is from Myanmar's exports of moong dal to India. Both sidesare only too aware that the potential is far higher. As Myanmar isstill mainly an agricultural economy, India is expecting to beinvolved in the country's farming modernisation at several levels,including research. Every other sector of the economy, as Mr. Mathai pointed out, alsobeckons. "Myanmar's economy has so much potential for development thatwe feel the scope for cooperation is in virtually all fields ofindustry — agro-based industries, resource-based industries,information technology, communications, hydrocarbons,transport," he said. India's main infrastructure venture in Myanmar is the Kaladanproject to link the Sittwe port to Mizoram by road and an inlandwaterway. Mr. Mathai defended the slow pace of the project, whichbegan in 2008, blaming it on the changes in the road-link. Thewaterway is expected to be completed by 2013, and the road link by2014. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Frosted Light Bulbs , LED Candle Light Bulbs Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Clear Candle Bulbs today!
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