CNI News
11 June 2025
The military conflict breaking out between the Myanmar Tatmadaw and the KIA depended on China, chairman of the Tai Leng (Shanni) Nationalities Development Party (TNDP), Sai Htay Aung told CNI News.
He said that China is behind all the jade mining in the Hpakant region, and that if China did not encourage the illegal jade market, Myanmar's political issues could be half-settled.
" It's sorrowful that two Myanmar armed groups are fighting against each other. China has huge economic interests there. Whether or not China will escalate the Hpakant military conflict is entirely up to it. The value of jade produced in Hpakant was 66 billion kyats in Myanmar in 2023. But its value was 21 billion US dollars in China. The jade was not legally exported to China, but through armed groups. We must be careful that China is behind all the jade mining. If China is a good neighboring country, it should connect with the central government to buy the Myanmar jade. If the black market was not encouraged, the Myanmar political issues could be half-settled." said Sai Htay Aung.
While seeing jade mining in the Hpakant region
The Myanmar Tatmadaw is trying to regain the places that it has lost control of in the Hpakant region, and local media reported that a Myanmar Tatmadaw column entered Hpakant town in late May and reinforced its forces. And then, battles are taking place between the Myanmar Tatmadaw and the KIA near Hpakant.
The KIA has been launching military operations to capture towns since March 2024, and is also waging battles in the border areas of Sagaing Region and Shan State.
The Myanmar Tatmadaw would wage battles on a large scale because Hpakant is an economically important region, Dr. Hla Kyaw Zaw, a China-Myanmar affairs analyst, told CNI News.
"The Myanmar Tatmadaw will fight in a big way. But it won't be easy for the Myanmar Tatmadaw. But it is able to defend for long in Bhamo because it has more weapons. So, the battles in Hpakant can take as long as those in Bhamo." she said.
Military and political observers point out that the Burmese military's offensive on Hpakant is not because of its military importance like Bhamo, but because of its natural resources.
The KIA has been waging a battle to capture Bhamo since December 4, 2024, and has not yet captured it, but it has occupied the entire region east of the Ayeyarwady River.
Local media outlets are also reporting that natural resource extraction is currently worsening in townships in Kachin State.
