Indo-Myanmar Border Trade : Status, Problems and Potentials

Contents: Preface. Inaugural speech. Presidential speech. Indo-Myanmar border trade: trends and structures: 1. Economy of Myanmar: trends, structure and implications for border trade with India\'s north-east/Gurudas Das and C.J. Thomas. 2. Indo-Myanmar border trade/J.S.R. Khathing. 3. Indo-Myanmar border trade in the light of India\'s look east policy/M.K. Mero. Indo-Myanmar border trade: Moreh-Tamu sector: 4. Indo-Myanmar trade through Moreh: status and assessment/Amar Yumnam. 5. Indo-Myanmar border trade: imperatives and present status/Konsam Ibo Singh. Indo-Myanmar border trade and India\'s look east policy: 6. India\'s look east policy: implications for northeast India/Prabir De. 7. Export potential and promotion of trade between India\'s north-east and neighbouring countries/Sunil Kumar. Trade, development and political economy: 8. Trade and development: interrelations and interdependence/Ajitava Raychaudhuri. 9. Rescuing north eastern region from economic gloom: a case for relying upon non-economic factors/Amiya Sharma. 10. Indo-Myanmar border trade: resource base and export potential of north eastern region/G.P. Prasain. 11. Good governance for regional cooperation/D.K. Sharma. 12. Border trade with Myanmar: problems and prospects/Pradip Phanjoubam. Indo-Myanmar border trade: institutional mechanism: 13. Trade settlement issues and introduction of letter of credit for promotion of Indo-Myanmar border trade/Rahul Bhattacharyya. Indo-Myanmar border trade: routes and sectors: 14. India-China trade through the Stilwell road/H.N. Das. 15. Border trade: a note on the Mizoram-Myanmar sector/Lallura Sailo. 16. Moreh-Tamu: a tale of two towns/Lunminthang Haokip. 17. Recommendations. Appendix: 1. Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Union of Myanmar on border trade between the two countries. Annexure: 1. The Indo-Myanmar joint task force report by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industries. Index.

"India shares 1643 km long border with Myanmar that passes through the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland. Although cross-border contact and movement of people are known throughout, but they have not led to any strong economic interdependence between the regions across the border so far.

The state-centric security perception, both in India and Myanmar, treated this border as vulnerable periphery. As a result, the "idea of shared border" and border area development through mobilizing the synergies across the border did not receive due attention from the national power centres. The geo-economic potentials of the border regions were far outweighed by the geo-political considerations.

This situation has, however, changed following the end of the cold-war paradigm, rise of South East Asian tigers, and release of forces of globalization. While the demise of the bi-polar world has freed the nations, who seek to forge new strategic partnership, the globalizing forces have brought economic interest in the forefront of nation\'s foreign policy. With the growth of regional trading arrangements, border areas are now viewed as economic corridors rather than far flung peripheries. It is from this perspective that the contributors in this volume have examined the status, problems and potentials of Indo-Myanmar border trade based on resource, production and demand structures across the border. The book also attempts to figure out the implications of India\'s look east policy for her north eastern region. It also pleads for treating "border trade" as a strategic tool for the economic development of the hitherto neglected regions across the border." (jacket)