China to build road on India-Myanmar border to foster trade

China is planning to come up with a project linking Banshao on the India-Myanmar border with Myitkyina in Myanmar to re-link it with the historic Stilwell Road in India, a Chinese official said here on Wednesday.

"The implementation of the road Myitkyina to Banshao is going to be carried out, so that the famous Stilwell Road is expected to be re-linked up again, and it will become another international thoroughfare connecting China, Myanmar and India," Lu Wenxiang, standing deputy governor of China's Yunnan province, said at an event organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce here.

He said his country has already built a secondary highroad from Tengchong county in China to Myitkina in Myanmar and the upcoming project linking the Stilwell Road and Myitkina will help facilitate trade in the BCIM (Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar) corridor.

"Currently, our prefecture (of Nujiang) and Kachin state of Myanmar is committed to promoting the road connection construction to integrate into the BCIM economic circle as soon as possible," he said.

Wenxiang said enterprises out of Nujiang have already invested RMB 1.3 billion from 2010 to 2014 and the bilateral trade between Myanmar and the prefecture is valued at $150 million.

Nujiang, owing to its geo-strategic advantage along the BCIM routes, may become a major forerunner for the project, if implemented.