ERIA President Hidetoshi Nishimura recently led a delegation of ERIA experts to evaluate the progress of the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) being built in southern Myanmar.

What is the Dawei SEZ?

The Dawei SEZ is a project by the Italian-Thai Development construction group. The SEZ, which will take 20 years to construct, will be one-third the size of Singapore in land area, and consist of a deep-sea port, a vast industrial complex, and a major transport hub. The Dawei port will serve as a new commercial gateway providing an alternative sea route to India, China, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa that will lessen dependence on the congested Straits of Malacca while reducing transportation time and logistic costs.

ERIA's interest in Dawei stems from its Comprehensive Asia Development Plan (CADP), which was submitted to the East Asia Summit in 2010. CADP presents a grand design of economic infrastructure and industrial placement in ASEAN and East Asia.

ERIA is in the process of drafting CADP 2.0., which will emphasize infrastructure development for connectivity and innovation - and ERIA sees Dawei SEZ as a key element in this development plan.

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