Landscape near Kalaw
When travelling in 1998 thru Shan-State (Lashio and Kalaw) the first visual impression was: where are the trees? Some locals told me both private entrepreneurs and the government had cut down huge areas and sold to China.
Myanmar had political trouble and was considered some sort of pariah state suffering under embargoes and lack of investments. Next to selling natural resources and precious stones, little was left to refinance the state then to sell even the forests. It also enabled China to get a harbour at the Burmese coast in order to reduce seafreight for its exports. Back in 1998, so I was told when being in Mandalay, 40% of all Mandalay's property would already belong to Chinese traders and companies (I have no sources to confirm or deny it). Apparently, Chinese had a strong influence already then and I wonder how it is now, more than 20 years later.
Scanned slide, image taken End of March 1998
Landscape near Kalaw
When travelling in 1998 thru Shan-State (Lashio and Kalaw) the first visual impression was: where are the trees? Some locals told me both private entrepreneurs and the government had cut down huge areas and sold to China.
Myanmar had political trouble and was considered some sort of pariah state suffering under embargoes and lack of investments. Next to selling natural resources and precious stones, little was left to refinance the state then to sell even the forests. It also enabled China to get a harbour at the Burmese coast in order to reduce seafreight for its exports. Back in 1998, so I was told when being in Mandalay, 40% of all Mandalay's property would already belong to Chinese traders and companies (I have no sources to confirm or deny it). Apparently, Chinese had a strong influence already then and I wonder how it is now, more than 20 years later.
Scanned slide, image taken End of March 1998