China urges consultation over suspended joint hydropower project in Myanmar

China on Saturday urged consultation over a suspended joint hydropower project in Myanmar, saying the legitimate rights and interests of its companies should be protected. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei made the appeal after reports said Myanmar President Thein Sein will order the suspension of the jointly invested hydropower dam in the country's northernmost Kachin State. "The Myitsone hydropower plant is a China-Myanmar jointly invested project, which has gone through scientific feasibility studies and strict examinations by both sides," said the spokesman. "Relevant matters that have emerged during the implementation of the project should be properly settled through friendly consultations between the two sides," he said. The Myitsone hydropower project is jointly invested by the China Power Investment Group, and Myanmar's Ministry of Electric Power-1 and the local private Asia World Company. Hong said the Chinese government always supports its enterprises to cooperate with foreign companies on a basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefits, and orders Chinese enterprises to strictly perform their duties and commitments according to laws and regulations of the countries where they work. The Myitsone hydropower plant project started in December 2009. With an installed capacity of 6,000 megawatts (mw), it is estimated to yield 29,400 million kilowatt-hours a year on completion which was earlier scheduled by 2019.