COVER STORY

COMMENTS (0)

RECOMMEND (753)

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PLUSONE

MORE

E-MAIL

PRINT

TEXT SIZE

Rural credit has largely collapsed. An interbank market and a domestic capital market are lacking.

10. Gradually open to trade and investment: Pressures to abruptly open up the economy could be strong, and being too responsive to these pressures could produce a political backlash. Special efforts may be required to ensure that Chinese investments do not trigger social unrest.

Burma’s Primary Markets

Thailand continues to be Burma’s leading market overall, mainly due to its import of gas from the offshore Yadana and Yetagun fields. But China is now the primary source for goods imported by Burma. China is likely to begin dominating both Burma’s export and import trade from 2013, when gas is scheduled to flow from the Shwe offshore field via a 1,100-kilometer pipeline to China’s Yunnan Province.

Country	Export	Import
Thailand	52.0	20.8
India	17.0	3.4
China (incl. Hong Kong)	9.5	32.1
Africa	5.3	0.0
Japan	4.4	3.0
EU	2.7	2.4
Singapore	1.2	20.4
Other	7.9	17.9

2008-09 (the most recent financial year for figures)
Source: Turnell, Burma’s Central Statistical Office