Description:
Abstract:
Myanmar highly appreciates foreign direct investment (FDI) as a key solution
reducing the development gap with leading ASEAN countries. Accordingly, it is
welcomed by the government. Myanmar?s Foreign Investment Law was enacted in
1988 soon after the adoption of a market-oriented economic system to boost the flow
of FDI into the country. Foreign investors positively responded to these measures in
the early years and FDI inflow into Myanmar gradually increased during the period
from 1989 to 1996. However, after 1997, FDI inflow was dramatically reduced and
markedly declined until 2004. In 2005, FDI inflow increased at an unprecedented
rate and reached the highest level in the country?s history. However, this growth was
not sustainable in the subsequent years, as it declined again and turned stagnant at
the previous level.
In terms of source regions, ASEAN is a major investor in Myanmar, which investment is
significantly exceeds the combined investment of other regions of the world. Among top
ten countries, Thailand?s investment alone is significantly more than
combined total investments of the other nine countries. Next to Thailand in
terms of investments in Myanmar are Singapore and Malaysia among ASEAN, at
second and third places, respectively. The combined total FDI inflows into the power
and oil and gas sector represent about 65 percent of the total investment.
There are many opportunities for foreign investment in other sectors, which are not, yet
exploited. ASEAN countries will certainly be source countries of Myanmar FDI in the
future, and Myanmar should expand to other Asian countries like Japan, India, China,
Korea, and Hong Kong where its FDI portfolio is concerned. To effectively attract FDI
into the country, Myanmar needs to minimize the effect of policy while opening and
encouraging other potential sectors of FDI to foreign investors in ASEAN and Asian
countries....
Keywords: foreign direct investment (FDI), Myanmar, ASEAN, Myanmar
Investment Commission (MIC)...
JEL classification: F21, L10, O11
Source/publisher:
IDE DISCUSSION PAPER No. 149
Date of Publication:
2008-04-00
Date of entry:
2008-12-30
Grouping:
- Individual Documents
Language:
English
