By CGTN's Meng Qingsheng
The ongoing clashes between Myanmar government forces, the Tatmadaw, and armed groups have severely impacted jade transportation and transaction.
Most of Jadeite trading stores in the Chinese border town of Nansan have shut their doors since the recent clashes broke out in northern Myanmar’s Kokang on March 6, 2017./ CGTN Photo
More than 90 percent of the world’s jadeite products come from Myanmar, with the rest coming from Japan and the United States, among other countries. The highest quality jadeite is the jadeite deposits found in northern Myanmar’s Kachin State.
While the precious stone is one of Myanmar's key export industries, China buys roughly 90 percent of its shipments. Many border cities and towns in China have benefited from the business, thanks to their proximity to Myanmar.
Zhou Xiaoli operates a jadeite shop in Nansan border town. /CGTN Photo.
Zhou Xiaoli, a resident of southwest China's Yunnan Province, runs a jadeite trading shop on Nansan’s commercial street. Zhou has been in the industry for five years, and each year she earns up to 600,000 yuan (100,000 US dollars). Most of her customers are tourists from Chinese provinces, but ever since violence erupted on March 6, Zhou has not sold a single piece of jade.
Sales of jadeite products have slumped after clashes broke out in Myanmar. /CGTN Photo.
Luo Xiang is a Kokang resident from northern Myanmar’s Shan state. She says her business had been lucrative before the occurrence of a similar but more chaotic violent episode back in February 2015. Luo says the jadeite business can bring in an annual income of over a million yuan (about 163,000 US dollars). However, the clashes have forced her to close the shop, as fewer people, both from Myanmar and China, come to buy her products.
Jadeite products at Nansan mainly come from Hpakant jade mines in Kachin State, northern Myanmar. /CGTN Photo.
Most of the jade products on the market are made of raw stones from Hpakant jade mines in Kachin State of northern Myanmar.
Considering the uncertainty of when the conflicts could subside, it may take longer than expected for businesses to fully recover.
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