Soon, India to China via Burma?

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/happysheep/shangri-la-la/1227160380.html


Yunnan province looks more to its neighbours than it does to the rest of China, sharing borders with a number of SE Asian countries - Vietnam, Laos, Burma - as well as sharing the Mekong river.

So no surprise that China is keen on re-establishing the Old Burma Road through to India. It used to be a supply line when the Japs cut off all other trade routes during the war.


China seeks reopening of trade route to India
China is keen on reopening the Steelwell Road that runs from Lydo in Assam to Yunnan province of China via Myanmar. "The Chinese government will send a formal proposal to its Indian counterpart," said Li Jiashou, chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Yunnan Sub-council.

He was speaking during a ceremony to mark the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Indian Chamber of Commerce and CCPIT, Yunnan province on Wednesday. The MoU was signed to promote economic cooperation between Yunnan and the eastern regions of India within the framework of the bilateral agreements between the two countries. The MoU also stipulates provisions for exchange of economic data and information between eastern India and Yunnan.

"The reopening of the road will facilitate more trade between these regions of the two countries. The Indian government has already widened the road on the Indian side and our government has built an expressway on our side. We have already talked to Myanmar through which 400 km of the road runs," the Chinese official said.