Myanmar to Host World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention for First Time

Organizers of the 14th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention announced on Sep. 6th that the Convention will officially kick off in Yangon on Sep. 16th.[Photo: Chinaplus]

Over two thousand Chinese entrepreneurs from around the world will soon be gathering in Myanmar's biggest city Yangon to explore the business opportunities in the region.

It's the first time Myanmar has hosted the biennial event. CRI's Myanmar correspondent Tu Yun has more.

Themed "An opening Economy in Myanmar, A New Epoch in History", the convention, now into its 14th year, has this time been organized by the Myanmar Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Ni, Vice Chairman of the Chamber, is in charge of the preparatory work.

"The time when we won the right to host the Convention was when Myanmar started to open to the rest of the world, so we think it's a good opportunity for the Chinese business people from around the world to know more about Myanmar so that they will invest more in this country."

Myanmar has recently been hit by an outbreak of the H1N1 influenza. Its northwestern state of Rakhine has also been besieged by violent attacks triggered by religious conflicts. Some participants have inevitably raised safety concerns about traveling to and doing business in Myanmar.

But Ni has set their minds at ease, and the number of applicants has gone beyond the number of places available for the conference.

"The original idea was one-third of the attenders came from China, one-third from the rest of other countries, and the rest from Myanmar. But since there were too many foreign applications, now overseas guests make up three quarters of the participants, and local merchants of Myanmar account for only a quarter. The MCC (Myanmar Convention Center) can accommodate 2,200 people. So we have 600 locals, and the rest, 1,600, are from overseas. Business people from China exceed 800, making up the majority of the participants."

Kyaw Aung, Honorary Chairman of the Myanmar Chinese Chamber of Commerce, says he hopes the event will help prompt more favorable policies on foreign investment from the Myanmar authorities.

"More business opportunities means more jobs. Myanmar is the last frontier. Invest here, you will have cheap labor. It's also like a piece of blank paper, where you can paint whatever you want. The authorities know this is a rare opportunity, so they surely may come up with preferential policies to appeal to Chinese business people to invest in Myanmar."

During the convention, participants will discuss issues such as Myanmar's investment environment and the business opportunities brought about by China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Economic and industrial cooperative deals as well as project contracts will also be signed at the two-day event to officially kick off on Saturday next week.