Myanmar is China’s top source of raw rare earth elements. As conflict threatens that supply chain, Beijing is moving more directly to intervene in Myanmar’s civil war.
Amid the ongoing conflicts between Myanmar’s military junta and various ethnic armed groups, two recent meetings – one between representatives of the Kachin Independence Army and Chinese officials, and the other between the Myanmar junta and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) – have taken place in Yunnan, China, which borders northern Myanmar.
China, acting not only as a mediator but also as a stakeholder, has been actively involved in the conflict developments in the northern and northeastern parts of Myanmar.
This neighboring country forms a crucial part of Beijing’s global strategy to secure access to critical minerals (rare earths and other minerals, including copper, lithium, nickel and cobalt, etc.) – particularly amid intensifying geostrategic competition with the United States over renewable energy and advanced technologies, both of which heavily rely on rare earths production.
For the rest of this article: https://thediplomat.com/2025/05/northern-myanmar-poses-a-challenge-to-chinas-critical-minerals-strategy/