緬甸尋求通過人民幣貿易項目加強與中國的聯繫

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Myanmar seeks closer China ties with Renminbi trade project

Wed, December 22, 2021, 2:22 AM

By John Geddie

(Reuters) - Myanmar will start accepting Renminbi as an official settlement currency next year for trade with China, it said on Wednesday, as it looks to restart several joint projects and forge closer economic ties with Beijing.

Myanmar's junta, which seized power in a Feb. 1 coup, said in a statement it enjoyed a special "kinship" with China, which has supported it financially and with COVID-19 vaccines.

The statement issued by the ministries of information and investment also identified infrastructure projects with China that it said were a "major priority" for its economic revival, including plans for railways and ports.

Chinese state media outlet Global Times previously reported Myanmar's Renminbi plans, saying the move aimed to address the country's shortage of U.S. dollars and other foreign currencies during a period of economic turmoil.

The military coup in Myanmar and an ensuing crackdown on protesters in which hundreds have been killed has been widely criticized in the West and prompted international sanctions on military officials and military-linked businesses.

Analysts have said that Myanmar's increasing international isolation could push it closer to China, which has not been publicly critical of the coup but has repeatedly urged different parties in Myanmar to "bridge their differences" and "advance the democratic transition".

In its statement, Myanmar said the pilot currency project would "further improve bilateral cooperation" with Beijing and would "substantially improve border trade", especially for agricultural products.

The ministries also said that Myanmar's economic downturn this year was "much less severe than forecasts of some international economists" and that the country expects to record modest growth in 2021-2022.

Nearly half the population of Myanmar, once one of Asia's fastest growing economies, will be pushed below the poverty line next year due to twin impacts of the coup and the pandemic, the U.N. has estimated.

(Reporting by John Geddie; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Giles Elgood)

Translation

（路透社） - 緬甸週三表示，明年將開始接受人民幣作為與中國貿易的官方結算貨幣，因為它希望重啟幾個聯合項目, 並與北京建立更緊密的經濟聯繫。

在 2 月 1 日的政變中奪取政權的緬甸軍政府在一份聲明中表示，它與中國有著特殊的“親緣關係”，中國在經濟上和 COVID-19 疫苗方面為其提供了支持。

信息和投資部發布的聲明還確定了與中國的基礎設施項目，並稱這些項目是使經濟復甦的“重中之重”，包括鐵路和港口計劃。

 中國官方媒體《環球時報》此前曾報導過緬甸的人民幣計劃，稱此舉旨在解決該國在經濟動盪時期短缺美元和其他外幣的問題。

 緬甸的軍事政變以及隨後對抗議者的鎮壓造成數百人死亡，在西方受到廣泛批評，促使國際社會對軍事官員和與軍事有關的企業實施制裁。

 分析人士表示，緬甸日益受到國際孤立可能會使其更接近中國，中國並未公開批評政變，但一再敦促緬甸不同政黨“彌合分歧”並“推進民主過渡”。

 緬甸在聲明中表示，貨幣試點項目將與北京“進一步改善雙邊合作”，並將“大幅改善邊境貿易”，尤其是農產品。

 緬甸各部委還表示，今年的經濟下滑“遠沒有一些國際經濟學家的預測嚴重”，該國預計將在 2021-2022 年實現溫和增長。

聯合國估計，由於政變和大流行的雙重影響，曾經是亞洲增長最快的經濟體之一, 緬甸明年將有近一半的人口生活在貧困線以下。

       So, Myanmar, like Nicaragua, when under boycotts and isolation from international countries turns to China for help.