Bad news for China in Myanmar as rebels Kachin army captures…., Xi Jinping in tension due to…

KIA is one of the many armed groups in Myanmar.

Naypyidaw: China has been dealt a blow in the ongoing fighting between junta forces and rebel factions in Myanmar. The rebel groups have halted trade with China by seizing Myanmar’s rare mineral resources. Rebels from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) have taken control of a rare mining area in northern Myanmar’s Kachin, defeating the junta.

Controlling a resource-rich area is a significant achievement for the KIA rebel group, while this development is a setback for the military rulers known as the junta. By taking over the mining area in Kachin, the KIA has disrupted the supply of minerals used in wind turbines and electric vehicles to China. As a result, the prices of these essential minerals have skyrocketed. The KIA’s move is aimed at exerting pressure on China, which has so far supported Myanmar’s military government. China has made substantial investments in rare earth mining in Myanmar’s Kachin state. Due to the mineral wealth, India is also interested in this region.

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) rebels seized areas from which minerals were extracted last year. This disrupted the supply of minerals to China used in wind turbines and electric vehicles. According to Chinese customs data, imports of rare earth oxides and compounds from Myanmar to China fell to 311 metric tons in February. This is an 89 percent decrease compared to last year.

Dan Seng Lorn, executive director of the Kachinland Research Center, says that the KIA wants to use these rare earth reserves to pressure negotiations with China. Experts with knowledge of the region say that India is also showing interest in the area, which is a regional rival to China. In late 2024, India sent officials from a state-owned rare earth mining and refining company to Kachin.

KIA is one of the many armed groups in Myanmar fighting against the junta military regime. KIA is the largest and oldest ethnic militia in Myanmar. The Kachin are mostly Christians, and they have had grievances against the Buddhist majorities. China has supported the junta in the civil war that has been ongoing since 2021 in Myanmar. In this context, rebel factions like the KIA are trying to change the situation by pressuring China.