Myanmar

Chinese President Xi envisions deeper ties, assures Myanmar of Beijing’s support (10 Apr 2019)
Xi expressed during a meeting with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in Beijing, that China would like to enhance strategic communication and deepen cooperation with Myanmar no matter how the international situation changes. At another meeting, Min Aung Hlaing also expressed to China’s Central Military Commission and Joint Staff Department Chief General Li Zuocheng that Myanmar regards China as “an eternal friend” and “a strategic partner country” and thanked China for its standing against the international community over the Rakhine State issue. Additionally, the two countries agreed to cooperate in five areas, (1) medical cooperation, (2) trade promotion with industries, (3) international cooperation, (4) border security and (5) peace and stability.

Sources: Straits Times, The Irrawaddy

DICA chief promoted as investment ministry’s top civil servant (11 Apr 2019)
The government has appointed U Aung Naing Oo as permanent secretary of the recently-created Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations. He will support and advise the cabinet minister U Thaung Tun on how to drum up foreign investments and build on reform initiatives. U Aung Naing Oo was also transferred to be DG of the Office of the Union Investment and Foreign Economic Relations on March 29 and is to hold both positions concurrently. The civil servant is widely praised by the business community for drafting new laws and consulting stakeholders in an open and effective manner as DG of DICA. U Thant Zin Lwin, who has been DICA deputy DG since 2016, is set to take over as DICA chief.

Source: Myanmar Times

The SIIA has hosted and worked closely with U Aung Naing Oo. Pertinently and most recently in 2018, U Aung Naing Oo was invited to deliver the keynote at our Myanmar Investment Forum, which we organised in partnership with the Singapore Exchange.