US EditionChina-Backed Militia Secures Control of New Rare Earth Mines in Myanmar: Reuters
- In April 2023, satellite imagery revealed a prominent circular clearing in Shan state's forested hills, about 30 km from the Thai border, marking new rare earth mining activity protected by the United Wa State Army .
- This development follows ongoing fighting in the Kachin mining belt that led many Chinese operators to cease work, prompting China's push to maintain control over Myanmar's rare earth resources amid broader regional instability.
- By February 2025, the Shan site had over a dozen leaching pools used for extracting heavy rare earths like terbium and dysprosium, with at least 100 workers excavating hillsides and shipments observed toward the Chinese border about 200 km away.
- Neha Mukherjee of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence noted that Chinese companies are able to extract heavy rare earth elements in Myanmar at a cost seven times lower than in other comparable areas, benefiting from less stringent regulations and support from China, while the UWSA imposes strict access controls requiring identification cards for entry.
- These operations strengthen China's leverage amid a global scramble for critical minerals, coinciding with tightened export restrictions after the US-China trade war resumed and disruptions in other Myanmar regions reduced supply.
24 Articles
24 Articles
While the eyes of the world are focused on negotiations between China and the United States, ethnic militias supported by Beijing in Myanmar control new deposits of unregulated rare earths. Beijing's priority is clear: securing control of strategic resources, including through increasing interventionism that feeds Burmese civil war and causes serious environmental damage.
China-backed militia controls rare earth mines in Myanmar
A Chinese-backed militia is protecting new rare earth mines in eastern Myanmar , according to four people familiar with the matter, as Beijing moves to secure control of the minerals it is wielding as a bargaining chip in its trade war with Washington.
Colorado Springs Gazette
Exclusive-China-backed militia secures control of new rare earth mines in Myanmar
By Naw Betty Han, Shoon Naing, Devjyot Ghoshal, Eleanor Whalley and Napat Wesshasartar
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