China-backed Arakan Army, military coup in Myanmar not a hurdle for strategic Kaladan project

The crucial Kaladan project linking Myanmar to India’s northeast is gaining pace as the threat from the Arakan Army, a Myanmar-based insurgent group with links to China, has been defused.

The crucial Kaladan project linking Myanmar to India’s northeast is gaining pace as the threat from the Arakan Army, a Myanmar-based insurgent group with links to China, has been defused. The project is not just a boost for infrastructure in the remote border areas of Mizoram in India and Chin state of Myanmar but will also be a strategic asset as it would counter China’s influence in the neighbourhood and provide an alternate route for troops induction in the Northeast. After missing two deadlines and an enhancement of funds from Rs 536 million dollars in 2008 to Rs 3,200 million dollars, the project is now looking at a 2023 deadline.