CNI News

9 July 2025

 If sanctions can be relaxed after Myanmar holds elections, the economy will recover, said the Shan and Nationalities Democratic Party chairman Sai Ai Pao.

Currently, Myanmar has been economically sanctioned by the United States, the European Union, Australia and the ILO. Consequently the people are facing a shortage of job opportunities, a declining economy and rising prices.

The economic downturn in Myanmar was due to sanctions, and if sanctions were lifted, foreign investment would increase, said Sai Aik Pao, chairman of the Shan and Nationalities Democratic Party, to CNI News. 

The Chairman of the Shan and Nationalities Democratic Party, Sai Aik Pao

“The economic collapse in Myanmar is due to sanctions. If a civilian government comes to power, these sanctions will be lifted. If there are no sanctions, foreign investment will increase. If an elected government comes to power, international trust will increase. These foreign investors are watching the upcoming 2025 election, so if a civilian government comes to power after the election, foreign investments will definitely enter. If such foreign investments enter, the country's economy will develop. It will definitely develop more than it is now," he said.

The partnership with a world power was welcomed and the country would be harmed if the country's finances were depleted by short-term projects rather than long-term ones,, businessman U Aung Pyae Sone told CNI News. 

When accepting foreign investments, it was necessary to be careful that if they were short-term projects, the country's finances might be depleted and it might be a loss, and they needed to be long-term projects, said businessman U Aung Pyae Sone.

While seeing the grassroots

“ Myanmar has reached agreements with a world power. We should welcome the fact that we will cooperate. We should accept the transportation projects that are really necessary for the country, including railway factories. We have only known roughly that such cooperation will take place. We need to know in detail what areas will be cooperated. "We need to clearly inform the public about the things that can be told. Will it improve job opportunities? Or, how can we replace the commuter trains that are running on the circular railways in a year? It's necessary to reconsider it."he said.

To help Myanmar's economy recover, SAC is seeking to partner with countries such as China, Russia, Belarus, India, and Thailand, and is also inviting domestic investments. 

China, Russia, Thailand, and Singapore are reportedly preparing to invest in deep-sea port projects and oil exploration projects in Tanintharyi Region.

On the other hand, to remedy Myanmar's political crisis and economic downturn, the SAC is preparing to hold elections in December 2025 and January 2026 to form a new government.