[Myanmar] Burma-China Gas Pipeline Ready In May

Chinese energy giant PetroChina expects to begin pumping gas through its Shwe oil and gas pipeline by May, the Financial Times reports. According to an announcement on Monday by CNPC, a parent company of PetroChina, the 793-kilometer pipeline—which runs from Burma’s western coast northward to China’s Yunnan Province—will go into use on May 30. Construction of the pipeline began three years ago and has been controversial in Burma, as it has been marred by complaints of land-grabbing for the project, while there also concerns over how ordinary Burmese will benefit from the revenues generated from the pipeline. The supply line is of strategic importance to China as it reduces its reliance on oil supplies through the Street of Malacca.