Energy cooperation between Myanmar and China under One Belt One Road: Current state, challenges and perspectives

Energy cooperation plays an important role in One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, which has attracted global attentions since it was firstly announced by China. However, studies focused on China-Myanmar energy cooperation under OBOR has not been explored yet, Myanmar usually acts as a geo-strategic link along OBOR while its power grid construction benefits from OBOR to a large extent. This paper aims to close this gap and provide a comprehensive analysis on China-Myanmar energy cooperation under OBOR. Current status of the two countries' respective energy systems is investigated to show their motivations for cooperation. Then, SWOT analysis and PEST analysis are integrated to uncover the roots of the past or ongoing successful and unsuccessful energy projects, and to provide invaluable insights about opportunities and challenges caused by the most up-to-date global issues, including COVID-19 and U.S.-China trade war. Lastly, practical suggestions are given with respect to political, economical, social and technological domains, such that stakeholders, engineers, researchers and investors can adapt to the post-crisis era. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive analysis on China-Myanmar energy cooperation under OBOR, investigating the current status of the two countries' energy systems and integrating SWOT analysis and PEST analysis to uncover the roots of past or ongoing successful and unsuccessful energy projects. Practical suggestions are given for stakeholders, engineers, researchers, and investors to adapt to the post-crisis era, considering global issues like COVID-19 and the U.S.-China trade war.