Myanmar Exported USD 620M Worth of Rare Earths to China in 2025

Photo – AFP

This Political & Conflict Economy Tracker No. 3 (English Version) was published on November 27, 2025, as a translation of the original Burmese version published on November 26, 2025.

▪️Period

January to September 2025

▪️Regions

Rare earth mining areas in Kachin and Shan States, and China.

▪️Issues

In the first nine months of 2025, rare earth exports from Myanmar to China totaled USD 624 million (over 28,000 tonnes). This marks a decline of roughly USD 100 million—and more than 10,000 tonnes—compared with the same period in 2024¹.

▪️Groups Involved

Kachin Independence Army (KIA), United Wa State Army (UWSA), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), and Chinese companies.

▪️Status/Development

In late October 2025, Beijing reopened four China-Myanmar border gates under KIA control—without any compromise with the KIA—at a time when rare earth exports to China were falling. Demand pressures are rising elsewhere as well, with India and other countries seeking to secure access to these minerals. Between January and September 2025, China imported more than 52,000 tonnes of rare earths, of which 53 percent (over 28,000 tonnes) came from Myanmar. Over the same period in 2024, Myanmar’s exports to China totaled USD 724 million, underscoring a year-on-year drop of about USD 100 million.

▪️Implications

The International Energy Agency (IEA) notes that Myanmar remains a significant force in global rare earth mining. In 2024, China leads with 61 percent, followed by Myanmar at 16 percent. Despite the dip in exports to China during the first nine months of 2025, mining activity in Myanmar is expected to rise as Beijing seeks a more stable and reliable supply chain. Production is therefore expanding beyond Kachin into eastern Shan State: early this year, at least 20 new sites were observed in UWSA-controlled Mong Yun and Mong Pawk, and in NDAA-held areas of Mongyawng Township. Such expansion, however, carries growing risks of environmental and socioeconomic harm. With cross-border impacts increasingly likely, neighbouring countries, Thailand among them, are moving to monitor and respond to the rare earth production.

Reference

1. Data based on the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC). Annual shifts in rare earth types and prices may affect 2024–25 comparisons. ↩︎