Myanmar: New rare earth mines in Shan State reportedly run by Chinese companies protected by local armed group
"Exclusive: China-backed militia secures control of new rare earth mines in Myanmar", Reuters, 12 June 2025
A Chinese-backed militia is protecting new rare earth mines in eastern Myanmar [...].
Now, in the hillsides of Shan state in eastern Myanmar, Chinese miners are opening new deposits for extraction [...]. At least 100 people are working day-to-night shifts excavating hillsides and extracting minerals using chemicals, the sources said.
The mines operate under the protection of the United Wa State Army [...] which is among the biggest armed groups in Shan state, also controls one of the world's largest tin mines. It has long-standing commercial and military links with China [...].
The UWSA and the junta did not respond to requests for comment.
A prominent circular clearing first appears in the forested hills of Shan state [...].
By February 2025 [...] the site housed over a dozen leaching pools [...].
Six km away [...] another forest clearing was captured [...]. Within a year, it had transformed into a facility with 20 leaching pools.
At least one of the mines is run by a Chinese company using Chinese-speaking managers, [...].