A Commerce Ministry report showed that between the start of the fiscal year on April 1, and the end of February 2009, Myanmar’s cross-border export receipts topped 610 million dollars, with imports worth 620 million dollars.

Myanmar border trade tops 1.2 bln dollars
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Myanmar strengthened trading ties with its neighbours over the past fiscal year with border trade of more than 1.2 billion dollars in the past 11 months alone, official figures revealed yesterday.
A Commerce Ministry report showed that between the start of the fiscal year on April 1, and the end of February 2009, Myanmar’s cross-border export receipts topped 610 million dollars, with imports worth 620 million dollars.
Half of all border exports were agricultural products, more than a quarter for fish and other marine products, while timber accounted for 12 percent, the report said.
The vast bulk of border trade was with China, Myanmar’s major ally in the region, which accounted for 70 percent of the trade.
Myanmar, which has been ruled by the military since 1962, is the subject of sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe because of alleged rights abuses and its long-running detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
But the impact of the sanctions has been weakened as neighbours, notably China, spend billions of dollars on Myanmar’s natural gas, timber and precious stones.
Myanmar’s total foreign trade reached 9.8 billion dollars for fiscal year 2007-8, an increase of 20 percent on the previous year.
Junta leader Senior General Than Shwe held talks with China’s army chief of staff during a “goodwill” visit in Myanmar’s capital on Wednesday, according to state media.
The two countries share a 1,370-mile border.
Myanmar has 13 border trading posts split between its frontiers with China, Thailand, India and Bangladesh.
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