China Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), & Bangladesh-China-India-Nyanmar Corridor (BCIM)

The China–Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), here presented in conjunction with the earlier Bangladesh–China–India–Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM), links China’s Yunnan Province to the eastern Indian Ocean. While BCIM was initially conceived as a multilateral corridor connecting China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and India, its implementation has stalled due to geopolitical constraints. In practice, CMEC has emerged as a more operational bilateral configuration, centred on infrastructure development between China and Myanmar. The CMEC is structured around an inverted Y-shape: extending from Kunming to Mandalay, and branching southward to Yangon and westward to Kyaukphyu on the Bay of Bengal. The now-discontinued BCIM framework was expected to extend this route westward from Mandalay across Myanmar into Bangladesh and eastern India, forming a continuous overland connection to the Bay of Bengal.