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Second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge Opens to Boost Trade

Second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge Opens to Boost Trade
The new bridge linking Thailand-Myanmar opened on Oct 30, 2019 © Bangkok Post

Local businesses are optimistic that the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, inaugurated today (30/10), will boost cross-border trade.

The bridge, which is expected to be the most efficient link between Tak province and Myanmar's most prominent cities, connects with the Mae Sot-Myawaddy permanent border checkpoint and the Mae Sot-Myawaddy customs checkpoint, Bangkok Post reported.

The opening of the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge is expected to boost Thailand's cross-border trade as all goods transport routes will be diverted to this new route in the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC), said Suchat Triratwatthana, a businessman and adviser to Tak’s chamber of commerce.

The Vice Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Niyom Wairatpanij, said the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge will lift the value of border trade exports to 100 billion baht from the current 80 billion baht. Image: Pattaya Mail
The Vice Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Niyom Wairatpanij, said the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge will lift the value of border trade exports to 100 billion baht from the current 80 billion baht. Image: Pattaya Mail

 

The EWEC is also known as the R9 route that serves Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar. 

The transport of goods on all other border routes through Myanmar to a third country will likely be diverted to this new route and through the Mae Sot-Myawaddy customs checkpoint, he said.

This new route is now the fastest and most convenient way to access prominent cities in Myanmar, he said. 

According to Xinhua, the Department of Foreign Trade's latest data indicated that border trade between Thailand and Myanmar over the first eight months of 2019 was valued at 133.86 billion baht (4.396 billion U.S.dollars), marking an increase of 4.73 percent from the same period last year.

Thailand's Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit points from the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Mae Sot district of Tak province on Thursday. Image: Bangkok Post
Thailand's Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit points from the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Mae Sot district of Tak province on Thursday. Image: Bangkok Post

 

However, exports were only worth 68.9 billion baht (2.262 billion U.S. dollars), down by 4.1 percent, while imports accounted for 64.9 billion baht (US 2.131 billion dollars), up 16.08 billion.

The Vice Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Niyom Wairatpanij, said the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge will lift the value of border trade exports to 100 billion baht from the current 80 billion baht (2.6 billion dollars).

Thailand's main exports to Myanmar included diesel and refined oil, capital goods, construction tools and machinery.

 

Indah Gilang Pusparani

Indah is a researcher at Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Daerah Kota Cirebon (Regional Development Planning and Research Agency of Cirebon Municipality). She covers More international relations, tourism, and startups in Southeast Asia region and beyond. Indah graduated from MSc Development Administration and Planning from University College London, United Kingdom in 2015. She finished bachelor degree from International Relations from University of Indonesia in 2014, with two exchange programs in Political Science at National University of Singapore and New Media in Journalism at Ball State University, USA. She was awarded Diplomacy Award at Harvard World Model United Nations and named as Indonesian Gifted Researcher by Australian National University. She is Researcher at Regional Planning Board in Cirebon, West Java. She previously worked as Editor in Bening Communication, the Commonwealth Parliament Association UK, and diplomacy consulting firm Best Delegate LLC in USA. Less
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