Kyaukphyu projects being implemented: junta boss

By Admin 01 Sep 2025

DMG Newsroom

1 September 2025, Kyaukphyu

Myanmar junta boss Min Aung Hlaing has told the Chinese government that a railway and deep-sea port project connecting Kunming, China, to Kyaukpyu, Arakan State, are being implemented.

He said that a railway section is being implemented to connect Mandalay-Kyaukphyu via the Muse-Mandalay railway section, which will connect to the Beijing-Kunming-Ruili railway in China.

"Currently, the Muse-Mandalay new railway construction project and the Mandalay-Kyaukphyu railway project are being implemented," said the junta chief.

Min Aung Hlaing, who is also Myanmar's self-appointed acting president, made the remarks at a meeting to promote Myanmar-China economic cooperation, held at the Tangla Hotel in Tianjin, China, on August 31.

The Mandalay-Muse railway, which will connect Muse, a town on the Myanmar border, to Mandalay in central Myanmar, will connect with the Beijing-Kunming-Ruili railway road currently under construction in China, and will continue to connect Mandalay to Kyaukphyu, Arakan State.

The railway project offers an opportunity for China's landlocked southern provinces to gain access to the sea through Myanmar.

The junta boss on Sunday took note, saying the Mandalay-Kyaukphyu railway project offers great opportunities that could potentially serve as an outlet for China to the Indian Ocean.

"China's main dream is to build a railway and highway project connecting Yunnan and Kyaukphyu. For this dream to come true, China needs to be comfortable with people who can rule Magway, Mandalay, North Shan, Shan State, and mainland Myanmar," said an observer of Chinese projects in Myanmar.

Min Aung Hlaing also said during his visit to China that the two countries are cooperating on the Kyaukphyu deep-sea port project, the Myitsone hydropower project in Kachin State, and the Shwe oil and gas pipeline project.

Chinese projects in Kyaukphyu include the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone, a natural gas-fired power project, twin natural gas and oil pipelines, the Kyaukphyu-Ann railway, Mandalay-Kyaukphyu railway, and Mandalay-Kyaukphyu highway projects.

Some assessments posit that a resumption of any Chinese-funded projects is still unlikely at this time, given the military and political landscapes in Arakan State and across much of the country. "There is no practical reason for these projects to start when even junta troops dare not leave the town [Kyaukphyu]," said veteran Arakanese politician U Pe Than.

A report by the Institute for Strategy and Policy - Myanmar (ISP-Myanmar) released in January found that the Arakan Army (AA) had full control over eight of China's 11 major projects in Arakan State, and partial control over three.

The junta chief said that with China's assistance, projects to further Myanmar's socio-economic development are being implemented in the education and health sectors, infrastructure development, electricity and energy, agriculture, industry, and transportation and communications sectors.