May 26, 2009 witnessed the grand completion ceremony of Yeni Pulp and Paper Project at Yeni town, Bago Province of Myanmar. With “Export Seller"s Credit” financing, Yeni Pulp and Paper Mill Project was contracted by Chengda Engineering Corporation of China on EPC basis. And it was CEC (China CEC Engineering Corporation) that had undertaken the engineering and technical service contracting of this project. The ceremony was attended by General Thein Sein — the prime minister of Myanmar, together with the director of the 3rd Special Warfare Bureau of Myanma Ministry of Defence, the commander of Southern Military Area, and other ministerial and higher rank officials from the Ministry of Industry (1), Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Livestock-Fisheries, Ministry of Industry (2), Ministry of Railways, Myanma Posts and Telecommunications, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, etc. Ye Dabo — ambassador of PRC in the Union of Myanmar, Tang Hai — economic and commercial counselor in Myanmar, leaders from Chengda and other related firms, and Wang Jianming (project manager) — the vice president of CEC also attended the ceremony.

This project was started in April, 2006. With a total investment of $81.5 million, the project comprised an 80t/d kraft sack paper line with bamboo as raw material, a 50t/d chemi-mechanical pulp line with wood as raw material, relevant alkali recovery line, water supply and waste water treatment stations, power plant and other auxiliary facilities. The production scale of the project ranked second in Myanmar, and it was unprecedented in the world to produce cement sack paper with full chemical bamboo pulp. This pioneering practice has filled a gap in the global paper making realm.

90% of the equipment utilized in the Yeni Project was made in China, which has vigorously propelled the export of China’s paper technology as well as China’s paper making equipment. The completion of this project will, to a great extent, ease the paper shortage in Myanmar. Through such cooperation, China and Myanmar have consolidated their friendship and strengthened their mutual trust in each other. This project has also set a successful example for the Sino-Myanmar cooperation.