CJ Korea Express said Friday it was named a preferred partner to form a joint venture with the Myanmar government.

CJ Group’s logistics affiliate said that the JV with Myanmar’s state-run Road Transport Administration Department will develop a 13,000-square-meter distribution center in Yangon and operate it for 20 years.

They plan to form the JV by the end of the year, and aim to establish seven distribution bases operating about 240 trucks to deliver national supplies including cement, sugarcane and building materials. It will also seek to launch global delivery services.

“Myanmar is strategically important as it is linked to China, India and ASEAN member states. We will exert efforts to become a total logistics company in Myanmar by making the most use of Road Transport’s networks,” said CJ spokesman Cho Jeong-hoon.

(baejisook@heraldcorp.com)