Crossing the border to lend a helping hand

Chinese companies in Myanmar are realizing the value of helping local communities as they focus on building a long-term presence in the country, report Wang Hui in Yangon and Zhao Yanrong on Maday Island, Myanmar.

Being recognized as a socially responsible entity by local comm-unities and society in general can be the key to companies sustaining their presence in a country. That belief is now shared by Chinese businesses in Myanmar.

For decades, Chinese enterprises, both at home and abroad - particularly those engaged in infrastructure construction - had focused their energies on building reputations for high efficiency, hard work and low costs. However, the performance of many businesses in areas that require corporate social responsibility had invariably fallen short of people's expectations.