Import of motorcycles manufactured in China was officially allowed from January 1 following imposition of import duty at the 105th-mile Trade Zone on the Sino-Burma border town of Muse.

Earlier, only spare parts except the motorcycle engine and frame were officially allowed to be imported. Now the regime is allowing import of the entire motorcycle.

“We were instructed to allow import of motorcycles after collecting import duty at the Trade Zone gate from January 1.  Earlier, we allowed only spare parts except the engine and the frame,” an official from 105-mile border trade gate said.

The import is being allowed only in the name of companies. The import duty is now USD 1,000, up from the earlier USD 450 per motorcycle, a trader on the border said.

But it is still not clear in which currency, Chinese Yuan or US Dollar, will the license renewal for the vehicle be done.

Despite allowing official import of motorcycles to companies in Muse, the illegal channeling of motorcycles through the black market exists in Jiegong on the Sino-Burma border town.

The license will be issued to all motorcycle owners in the country by the end of this month. The license to be issued in border town Muse is in (6 Ya) and (17 Ya), a woman local resident said.

“They issued (6 Ya) license to temporary licensees and (Ma Sa) when they renewed their license. But they issued (17 Ya) for the new license. The import duty depends on the engine power. My neighbour paid Kyat 250,000 for a 125 cc bike, while that of a 110 cc engine bike will be Kyat 170, 000,”   she said.

There are many brands of motorcycle being imported to Burma such as Kenbo, Luojia, Yinxiang, Jialin, Anbo, Yamaha, Honda and Jianshe among others.