Myanmar Rare-Earth Mining Adds 302 Kachin Sites - China's Heavy-Rare-Earth Back Door Expands

Highlights

• 302 new rare-earth mining sites identified in Kachin State since Myanmar's 2021 military coup, with Shan State sites rising from 12 to 85.
• Myanmar supplied an estimated 60–87% of China's rare-earth imports by volume annually from 2017–2024, with post-coup exports totaling ~$3.6 billion.
• UN OHCHR links the mining expansion to weakened rule of law, environmental contamination including arsenic and mercury, and a growing conflict economy.
• Western buyers face a critical traceability gap: Myanmar-origin heavy rare earths may lose provenance once processed inside China's refining and magnet supply chain.