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Westerman said sanctions didn't present too much of a hurdle for Ford. "We took a lead off the U.S. government and their call for American businesses to invest here in Myanmar," he said. "We do our due diligence like we do in any market." Ford's Myanmar distributor, Capital Automotive, is a unit of the Capital Diamond Star Group, whose managing director, Ko Ko Gyi, has managed to build a successful conglomerate with interests ranging from trading and distribution to construction and real estate, without running afoul of U.S. sanctions. This is his second big win with a U.S. company. Diamond Star Co., another group company, became the sole importer and distributor for PepsiCo's Pepsi-Cola, 7-Up and Mirinda brands in Myanmar last year. U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mitchell, speaking at the Ford press conference Tuesday, said U.S. policy is now to encourage "responsible investment" in Myanmar. Government regulation, he said, is not intended to thwart investment, but to ensure that U.S. companies contribute to an equitable business environment. "Companies will make their own judgment about whether these requirements are onerous," he said. "We believe American companies can model the type of behavior that can contribute to reform. We gain an advantage as a country and our companies gain an advantage."
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