Since the February 2021 coup in Myanmar, rare earth extraction has expanded rapidly in Kachin State, a state in northern Myanmar bordering China. There, the ethnic armed organization Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has taken control of some of the most valuable mines for key rare earth minerals essential for manufacturing electric vehicles and other high tech products. By controlling the lucrative export of these rare earths to China, where the minerals are processed, the KIA has brought China to the negotiating table. But it remains to be seen whether this model of resource-backed diplomacy can bring stability.
Rare Earths and Realpolitik. Kachin Control, Chinese Calculus, and the Future of Mediation in Myanmar (Amara Thiha – Stimson Center)
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