• Burmese
Friday, June 13, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
27 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

China-Backed Illegal Rare Earth Mining Surging in Northern Myanmar

Yan Naing by Yan Naing
July 15, 2022
in Burma, News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
China-Backed Illegal Rare Earth Mining Surging in Northern Myanmar

A rare earth mineral mine in Pangwa in Kachin State.

34.7k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Illegal rare earth mining has surged in northern Kachin State since last year’s coup in areas along the border with China controlled by a militia sponsored by the Myanmar military.

Reports in The Irrawaddy and on several social media platforms indicate that mining has increased by at least five times in Pangwa in Kachin’s Chipwi Township, while there has been a rapid influx of Chinese workers.

The unregulated mining of rare earth minerals for export to China is irreparably damaging the environment. Significantly, Myanmar is China’s largest source of rare earth minerals, accounting for over half of its supplies. The long-term consequences of such mining will certainly be felt in Myanmar, while China walks away with the profits.

RelatedPosts

Fighting Nears Nawnghkio Town as Myanmar Junta Pushes to Retake N. Shan

Fighting Nears Nawnghkio Town as Myanmar Junta Pushes to Retake N. Shan

June 5, 2025
1.7k
Civilians Trapped in Fighting Near Myanmar’s Jade Mining Hub

Civilians Trapped in Fighting Near Myanmar’s Jade Mining Hub

May 29, 2025
883
Drone Strike Destroys Myanmar Junta’s Crash-Landed Aircraft

Drone Strike Destroys Myanmar Junta’s Crash-Landed Aircraft

May 22, 2025
2.2k

In 2016, Chinese mining companies entered Pangwa looking for rare earth minerals after the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) cracked down on illegal mining in China.

Consequently, China became heavily dependent on medium and heavy rare earth minerals from Myanmar. By 2018, Myanmar was the largest exporter of the minerals to China. In the first week of December 2021, the CPC-run newspaper Global Times reported that, in 2020, imports of rare earth minerals from Myanmar rose by 23 per cent year on year to around 35,500 tons, accounting for 74 per cent of all imports.

Heavy rare earth minerals are exported to China for refining and processing and then sold globally. Exports to China of rare earths, which are used in smart phones, electric cars and other high-tech products, have steadily increased with Myanmar exporting more than 140,000 tons of rare earth deposits, worth more than US$1 billion, between May 2017 and October 2021, an official Chinese statement said.

A rare earth mineral mine in Pangwa in Kachin State. / Kachin Wave

The United States Geological Survey estimated that about 240,000 tons of rare earth minerals were mined globally in 2020, with China accounting for 140,000 tons, followed by the United States with 38,000 tons and Myanmar with 30,000 tons. Although China is the world’s largest producer of rare earth minerals, it buys the ore from Myanmar, exploiting its cheaper labor.

Around ten rare earth mineral mines have been opened near the Myanmar-China border in Zam Nau, according to the Transparency and Accountability Network Kachin. Zam Nau is controlled by the Myanmar military-affiliated militia, the New Democratic Army Kachin (NDA-K).

Kachin environmental groups estimate that there are over 100 rare earth mineral mines around Pangwa in Chipwi Township, all controlled by the NDA-K and Chinese investors. Media in China has reported that some Chinese companies are facing rising logistical costs of exporting rare earth minerals from Myanmar since 2021. However, other reports suggest that Chinese buyers have not seen any significant decline in imports for the last two years.

For instance, Myo Ko Ko, a medical company, had been awarded a license to mine rare earth minerals in Kachin State. The licensed area is 281 acres of land in Chipwi Township, equivalent to the size of 159 football fields.

Several illegal mines with Chinese workers were found in 2019 and 2020 in Chipwi after a series of inspections, according to the Kachin State Mining Department. The Department has said that the involvement of armed groups makes regulating the industry challenging. Brang Awng of the Kachin State Working Conservation Group told The Irrawaddy that the mines cause environmental destruction by polluting waterways and groundwater. Dozens of villages in the area now suffer from polluted soil and water due to rare earth mineral mining.

Growing international demand for rare earth minerals is closely linked to illegal mining in Myanmar, and demand is increasing as developed countries shift toward technologies like electric cars and wind turbines, Yadanar Maung of rights group Justice for Myanmar told Radio Free Asia in March 2022.

The amount of hazardous waste in Myanmar was estimated at 284 million tons and radioactive waste at around 14 million tons during the period from May 2017 to Oct 2021. A worker who was involved in one of the mining operations told Radio Free Asia that five toxic chemicals, including oxalic acid and ammonium bicarbonate, are used in the mining of rare earth minerals.

There has been serious environmental damage due to unregulated mining in Kachin State.

Many of the Chinese mine owners work with local landowners and businessmen. Multiple sources confirmed that they have been involved in rare earth mining companies and profit from the exports to China. In fact, Myanmar’s rare earth mining sector is now sustained by the growing global demand for the mineral in high-tech manufacturing.

Currently, the mine owners and their associates face no restraints on their operations. Yadanar Maung of Justice for Myanmar has called on governments to act urgently in “banning the sale and import of ‘conflict minerals’.”

The long-term consequences of such activity for Myanmar will only be negative. Activists continue to ask for the destruction of the environment to stop but local villagers seem voiceless. The message is clear that major international corporations are implicated in rare earth mineral mining. A change of approach to the growing problem is now necessary.

Yan Naing is a pseudonym for a political analyst on Myanmar and China.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Chipwi TownshipCommunist Party of ChinaCoupCPCIllegal Rare Earth MinesJustice for MyanmarKachin StateMyanmar MilitaryNDA-KNew Democratic Army-KachinRare Earth Minerals
Yan Naing

Yan Naing

Yan Naing is a pseudonym for a political analyst on Myanmar and China.

Similar Picks:

Myanmar Junta Arrests Thai Condo Buyers, Realtors as Currency Crashes
Business

Myanmar Junta Arrests Thai Condo Buyers, Realtors as Currency Crashes

by The Irrawaddy
June 4, 2024
27.6k

Monday’s arrests follow reports that Myanmar has become one of Thailand’s most lucrative markets for selling condos since the 2021...

Read moreDetails
New Year Message From Myanmar: Dictator Shows he is Forever Falling Short
Analysis

New Year Message From Myanmar: Dictator Shows he is Forever Falling Short

by The Irrawaddy
January 3, 2024
24.9k

Min Aung Hlaing kept this year’s speech brief – just long enough to blame everyone for the disaster he created...

Read moreDetails
‘Midnight Massacre’ at IDP Camp in Myanmar a War Crime: KIA
Burma

‘Midnight Massacre’ at IDP Camp in Myanmar a War Crime: KIA

by The Irrawaddy
October 10, 2023
18.8k

Death toll expected to rise after bombs obliterated village for internally displaced persons in Kachin State shortly before midnight on...

Read moreDetails
Post-Coup Myanmar is a Family Business: Min Aung Hlaing & Co
Burma

Post-Coup Myanmar is a Family Business: Min Aung Hlaing & Co

by David Aung
February 8, 2024
17.9k

Min Aung Hlaing is an opportunistic businessman in military uniform and his children are more mercenary than the offspring of...

Read moreDetails
A Few Pariah States Congratulate Myanmar on The Anniversary of Its Independence Day
Burma

A Few Pariah States Congratulate Myanmar on The Anniversary of Its Independence Day

by The Irrawaddy
January 8, 2024
17.7k

Annual holiday has been ignored by the governments of most countries since the civilian government was ousted in a military...

Read moreDetails
France Urged to Probe Assets of US Sanctioned Myanmar Student
Junta Cronies

France Urged to Probe Assets of US Sanctioned Myanmar Student

by The Irrawaddy
April 27, 2024
16.2k

Despite being sanctioned by Washington, daughter of the founder of Myanmar military junta-linked crony conglomerate has enrolled in elite business...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Militia Chief Seized Over Alleged Murder of Myanmar Junta Officer’s Relative

Militia Chief Seized Over Alleged Murder of Myanmar Junta Officer’s Relative

Over 10

Over 10,000 Civilians Flee Myanmar Junta Airstrikes in Sagaing

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

The Hidden Fallout From China’s Cross-Border Crime Crackdown in Myanmar

The Hidden Fallout From China’s Cross-Border Crime Crackdown in Myanmar

4 days ago
1.4k
How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

2 days ago
921

Most Read

  • Civilians in Need as Arakan Army Advances on Kyaukphyu

    Civilians in Need as Arakan Army Advances on Kyaukphyu

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Advances into Karenni State

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Jade Hub Burns as Junta Counteroffensive Penetrates Hpakant

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • China Defends Myanmar Junta on Human Rights at UN

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • High-Level Ministerial Meeting Held to Speed Up Preparations for Myanmar Junta’s Election

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.