[Translator] Overview of Cement Industry in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar

Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are three neighboring countries in the Southeast Asian continent. Their population represents a variety of cultures and is sandwiched between strong neighbors such as China, India and Thailand. All three

countries have a colonial history, becoming independent between 1948 and 1953. However, all three countries have been slow to develop because of political instability or oppression. In 2020, all three countries had relatively low media freedom and human development indices. The Kingdom of

Cambodia is located in the southern part of the Indochina Peninsula, with a land area of 181,035 square kilometers. It is bordered by Thailand to the west, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east. For 600 years, from 800 A.D. to the mid-15th century, the territory of Cambodia was the base of the Khmer people. Since then, the local regime has gradually declined. Cambodia was under French control from 1863 to 1946 and gained full independence in 1953. After

independence, the leaders of the new countries adopted a policy of neutrality in the region's Cold War proxy conflicts. But part of its territory was used as a base to supply Communist North Vietnamese forces, leading the United States to launch a series of air strikes in the area, which triggered strong anti-American sentiment and support for Communist policies.

This eventually led to the Khmer Rouge movement led by Pol Pot in 1975. The extreme nationalism of the Khmer Rouge regime pushed communism to extremes. It calls for abandoning all towns and sending everyone to the countryside to work as farmers. Many were in poor conditions during the transition period, and thousands died before the first harvest. All traces of previous civil, religious and military activities in Cambodia were eradicated, and those who stood in the way were executed one after another. The "crimes" that led to death included wearing glasses, speaking foreign languages and crying over the death of a loved one. After a rebellion on the Vietnamese border, Potbull ordered the death of about 1.5 million "Cambodians with Vietnamese ideas". Vietnamese troops and rebels toppled the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979. After that, Vietnam occupied Cambodia until 1993. It is estimated that between 1.5 million and 2 million Cambodians died in just four years between 1975 and 1979.

Today, Cambodia is unusual in that its king is elected, not by blood. Cambodia is also one of several countries where Buddhism is the state religion. The constitution gives power to the elected prime minister. Nonetheless, Cambodia has been ruled by Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Cambodian People's Party since the early 1990s. In the 2018 election, the People's Party won all the seats in Parliament, which was considered problematic by outside observers. Political opponents are still oppressed, and the freedom of the media is always restricted. According to the 2020 edition of Reporters Without Borders, Cambodia is ranked 144 out of 189 countries for media freedom.

Laos

, a landlocked country now known as the Lao People's Democratic Republic, has experienced many regime changes and external rule, including Siam (Thailand) and Vietnam. In the late 19th century, France, which already controlled Vietnam and Cambodia, sought ways to expand its regional influence. The Lao Protectorate was established in 1893 and was controlled by the French from Vietnam. Prior to the

Second World War, the French continued to exploit Laos, which had been well established under Siamese and Vietnamese rule. Nationalism in Laos became increasingly prominent in the 1940s. After Laos declared independence in 1945, the French initially succeeded in regaining control of Laos, but by 1953, Laos had achieved a transition to full independence. In the second half of the

20th century, Laos tried to maintain a neutral position towards the ongoing events in neighboring Vietnam, just like Cambodia. In the 1950s and early 1960s, two coalition governments collapsed, and then the North Vietnamese army attacked. As in Cambodia, the United States carried out massive air strikes and Laos turned to communism. After the end of the war in 1975, the Lao government regained control of the border, but it was still heavily influenced by Vietnam. Support from Vietnam and the former Soviet Union continued until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Since then, Laos has become more independent and undertaken some market reforms. However, the Communist Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) remains dominant in national politics. Laos was ranked 172 out of 192 countries in the 2020 Media Freedom Index. Laos ranked 140 out of 189 countries in the 2018 Human Development Index.

Myanmar

Myanmar is a large country in the western part of the Indochina Peninsula, in the center of the Irrawaddy River and its delta. He was at the crossroads between China, India and Southeast Asia, as evidenced during the wars with Siam and China. Seeking further expansion, Burma moved westward in the 19th century, waging war with Britain, which controlled India and Bangladesh at the time. The move backfired and ended with Britain adding Burma to British India in 1886. In 1890, the British violently suppressed remaining dissent in the north and systematically destroyed Burmese culture. British and Indian companies dominated, and Burmese companies were forced out of the market. The outbreak of the

Second World War broke this unsatisfactory situation and increased anti-British sentiment and support for communism. In 1938, Aung San founded the Communist Party of Burma. The Burmese Communist Party sought an alliance with China at that time, but the subsequent outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan in Burma supported the Burmese national uprising, which led to the independence of Burma. After three years of negotiations with Britain, the defeat of Japan allowed Burma to become independent in 1948. The 1950s and early 1960s were marked by instability in Burma and successive rebellions by rival factions. After a coup in 1962 that established a socialist state, Myanmar endured nearly 30 years of political strife and food shortages. The Burmese military took control of the country after 1988 and changed its name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989.

In 1990, the National League for Democracy won an election by a landslide, but the military prevented a new government from being installed. That left Suu Kyi, the daughter of Aung San, and the head of the National League for Democracy under house arrest for 26 years while the military was in power. Aung San Suu Kyi was released in 2010 and later served as State Counsellor of Myanmar in 2016.

However, Burma's transition to full democracy has not been smooth due to ongoing political disputes, economic hardships, and ethnic conflicts. The most notable example of this is the continuing oppression of the Rohingya Muslim population, which has been officially denied citizenship in Myanmar, with restrictions on movement, work and education. Myanmar was ranked 139 in the 2020 Media Freedom Index and 145 in the Human Development Index. Globally

, the three countries mentioned in the report have a smaller share of the cement industry, with a total of 35 cement plants, an annual capacity of 24.3 million tons and 77.1 million residents. At about 315 kg per capita, this is about half the level common in rapidly developing economies. Cement production equipment is generally small by international standards and much of the equipment is outdated. Most cement factories are domestic enterprises. However, in recent years, some regional companies, especially from Thailand and China, have entered the market as strategic joint venture partners. Most of the capacity is now at least partially owned by China or Thailand.

Figure 1: Cambodia, Laos, Ownership of

Myanmar cement capacity

Cambodia is a Chinese-built cement plant with an annual capacity of 1.8 million tons, located in Phum Sdao. It is operated by Battambang Conch Cement, a joint venture jointly owned by Anhui Conch Cement (60%) and KT Cement Battambang (40%). Founded in 2016, the company kept its promise to complete the project construction in two years and put it into operation for the first time in July 2018. The company is currently supplying cement to Bodhisattva, Pailin, Boteay, Siem Reap and other places.

Cambodia's second largest cement producer is Chip Mong Insee Cement, which operates a cement plant with an annual capacity of 1.6 million tons in the southern Touk Meas region, 125 kilometers from Phnom Penh. The cement plant is invested by one of the largest construction companies in Cambodia Chip Mong Group (60%) and Thai cement manufacturer Siam City Cement (40%) 2. The plant was first fired up on September 30, 2017 and a waste heat recovery system from China's CITEC Heavy Industry was installed. As part of its environmental protection, the plant commissioned Cleantech Solar to provide a 9 in February 2019. The system includes a 2. The deployment of floating solar power generation equipment will protect the reservoir from wind and direct midday sunlight, which will reduce water loss caused by evaporation and help save water. In terms of

design capacity, the third largest cement manufacturer in Cambodia is Cambodia Cement Company. Since 17 June 2014, 40% of the company is owned by

Cambodia's fourth largest cement producer, also located in Kampot, is Kampot Cement, a company owned by Siam Cement Group (92.5%) and Chuly Group (7. The company was established in 2005 and has an annual production capacity of 900,000 tons.

Cambodia's fifth and last cement producer is operated by Thai Boon Roong Cement, a joint venture between local and Chinese investors. Despite being named after Thai, there is no Thai involvement. On November 14, 2019, at the opening ceremony of the cement plant, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said that the establishment of the cement plant would ensure that Cambodia's cement demand would be fully met by self-produced cement.

Another cement plant, from Southern Cement Cambodia, is under construction. The company was founded in 2017, but the details of the project are not yet known. Overview of

the

cement industry in Laos There are 15 integrated cement plants in Laos. As most of the cement plants are small, the total annual cement production capacity in Laos is 10.7 million tons.

In terms of production capacity, the largest cement plant in Laos is Lao Cement Public Company, which has a total annual cement production capacity of 3.4 million tons through four cement plants. Three of them are located in the capital, Vientiane, and the other in Khammouane province. The company is jointly operated by the Yunnan Economic and Technical Cooperation Corporation of China and the Lao National Agricultural Development and Import and Export Public Utilities Corporation through Chinese loans. The actual controller of the company is the Lao government. The company's main products are "Kating Thong" Portland cement clinker "and" Kating Thong "Portland cement. According to ASTM C-150, ISO 9001:2015, the cement is classified as Class I cement; according to GB175-1999, the cement is classified as 32. The company's products are mainly for the capital of Vientiane and the provinces where Vientiane is located, Xieng Khouang, Luang Prabang, and other provinces surrounding the capital. The second largest cement producer

in terms of capacity is Gammon Cement, a wholly owned subsidiary of Siam Cement Group of Thailand. The company's cement plant in Khammouan province has an annual capacity of 1.8 million tons and was established in 2017. The third largest cement producer in

Laos is Luang Prabang Cement, a joint venture between Anhui Conch Cement and local investors. The company owns three cement plants, all located in Luang Prabang (capacity of 100,000 tons/year, 200,000 tons/year and 1 million tons/year respectively). The third and largest cement plant is the latest to be built and was first fired up in December 2019. There are three cement production enterprises

in Laos with an annual production capacity of more than 1 million tons. Jixiang Cement was set up by Yunnan Energy Investment Group in 2015 for a three-year project. POCI operates a cement plant in Khammouan province; Oudomaxay Cement operates a cement plant with an annual capacity of 1 million tons in Namor. The other two cement producers in the

top five are Vang Vieng Cement and Salawan Cement, both of which have an annual production capacity of 500,000 tons. Vang Vieng Cement is another Chinese joint venture and the oldest cement producer in Laos. In 1994, Vang Vieng Cement set up its first production line Wanrong Cement Plant 1 in Vang Vieng, the capital of Vientiane.

Myanmar Cement Industry Myanmar currently has 15 integrated cement plants in operation, with a total annual production capacity of 7.2 million tons. The largest cement producer in Myanmar,