CONSORTIA led by China’s CITIC Group Corporation have won bids for two projects to develop a special economic zone in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State.

    One consortium won a tender to build a deep sea port on the Bay of Bengal while another consortium won a contract to develop an industrial area, managers of the economic zone said late Thursday.

    Both projects are part of Myanmar’s plan to boost the region’s economy with the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone, and they add to China’s portfolio in one of Myanmar’s poorest states.

    China already has oil and gas pipelines from Kyaukphyu, across Myanmar to China’s Yunnan Province, bypassing a potential shipping chokepoint of the Malacca Strait.

    CITIC’s consortia include China Harbor Engineering Co. Ltd., China Merchants Holdings, TEDA Investment Holding and Yunnan Construction Engineering Group.

    The only non-Chinese company involved is Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Group, according to the Xinhua news agency.

    Myanmar’s parliament approved development of the economic zone Tuesday.

    CITIC was not immediately available for comment.

    The development of special economic zones is one of Myanmar’s policies aimed at stimulating growth. Japanese firms drove development at Thilawa, another zone, near Yangon city.

    A winner for a third part of the project, a housing development, was not selected due to a dearth of qualified bidders, the Kyaukphyu SEZ Bidding Evaluation and Awarding Committee said in a statement.(SD-Agencies)