CNI News
2 September 2025
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of the State Security and Peace Commission, said that efforts will be made to ensure that those who come to Myanmar to invest and those engaged in trade will not suffer losses.
He made these remarks at the Myanmar-China Economic Cooperation Promotion Meeting held at the Tangla Hotel in Tianjin, China, on August 31, 2025.
Businesspeople noted that in order for economic enterprises to grow stronger and for stronger competition, it would be necessary for the post-election government to be a clean government that could properly implement a market economic system.
U Aung Pyae Sone, a businessman, told CNI News that ensuring no harm for traders must start with addressing current problems at border gates and basic micro-enterprises.
While China-Myanmar-India economic cooperation agreements were being signed
“Although they say there will be no losses, traders are currently facing many difficulties importing goods through border areas. For example, at the Myawaddy trade gate, a large number of goods are stuck on the Thai side and cannot be imported into Myanmar. If they pass the permitted deadline, the Thai authorities will confiscate the goods. That is a direct loss for traders. When conducting trade, the most important thing is to be able to do business quickly and efficiently. For that, these imports need to be permitted without delay.” he said.
He also pointed out that the Foreign Exchange Supervisory Committee should ease monetary controls so that goods can be imported more easily.
“Another issue is the Foreign Exchange Supervisory Committee. When many imports come in, they assume that a large outflow of foreign currency will occur, so they impose restrictions. But on the other hand, these goods are essential domestic needs. When such imports fall into restricted categories, it becomes harder to purchase them, prices rise, and in some cases, they may even be brought in illegally. Therefore, if they really want to ensure traders do not suffer losses, they should address these basic business issues first.” he explained.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing added that Myanmar is a country with good opportunities for investors. With the free and fair elections planned for December, greater political stability will emerge, and there will be more opportunities for business and economic cooperation.
Chinese business people
U Htay Aung Kyii, an economic analyst, told CNI News that the main obstacle for traders is weak security in transportation and logistics, which needs to be resolved.
“The main losses for traders are barriers to trade. For example, whether exporting or importing with currencies like the Korean Won or US Dollar, the gap between the official exchange rate and the market rate makes transactions difficult and costly. For smooth trade, security along transportation routes is also essential. Another issue is taxation. Since our country is poor, I won’t comment much on taxes, but if transport routes are secure and trade barriers are removed, improving trade would be easy. The most crucial factor is security.” he said.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing also invited investors to come to Myanmar with confidence to engage in economic cooperation.
On August 30, 2025, during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing also discussed Myanmar’s prospective membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and cooperation with China in building a high-quality Belt and Road Initiative.
