To overcome Myanmar’s underdeveloped roadway infrastructure, China could be turning to the Ayeyarwady River. The country has been conducting feasibility studies for ports that will link Yunnan with Mandalay and Yangon. The developments would be a part of China’s ongoing China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, which aims to bring Myanmar into China’s larger Belt and Road Initiative.

Liu Jinxin, president of China Kunming South Asia & Southeast Asia International Logistics Research Institute, said that railroads and warehouses connected to inland port have already been constructed on the China side. He continued that Myanmar would require Chinese assistance in building its own inland ports at key spots along Myanmar’s largest river. However, developing a river route could help China bypass Myanmar’s underdeveloped overland trade routes.

The China-Myanmar Economic Corridor was officially launched in 2017 and called for billions of dollars of new infrastructure projects. These include new highways and a railway linking Mandalay with the border town of Muse. However, many of these projects are years from completion, and roadway conditions remain abysmal at key choke points along major trade routes. Worse, ongoing fighting in northern Myanmar continues to stall trade. By supporting river infrastructure, China appears to be hedging its bets for its economic partnership with Myanmar.