CNI News
May 14, 2026
Myanmar truck drivers report that they are being forced to halt operations at the Myanmar-China border gates in northern Shan State and Kachin State, as Chinese cargo trucks dominate the cross-border traffic.
Myanmar trucks have been sidelined at the Kan Pite Tee and Lwe Je border trade gates in Kachin State. This is because Chinese trucks are being used to transport resources from the Myanmar side, including tissue-culture bananas grown in Kachin State and rare earth minerals.
Furthermore, hundreds of Chinese trucks are daily transporting minerals from Namtu and Hsenwi through the Chinshwehaw border gate in northern Shan State.
The KIA and MNDAA, which control these border trade gates, permit only Chinese trucks to enter and exit. Myanmar trucks remain stationary because these groups do not provide security guarantees for them.
Ko Hein Zin, a truck driver, told CNI News that Myanmar trucks are also being forced to stop because Chinese traders are driving down prices for their services.
Scenes from Kan Pite Tee border trade.
"There is a high influx of Chinese trucks. They are even driving them by themselves. We Myanmar truckers are facing huge difficulties; we simply can't travel anymore. Previously, this was work handled by Myanmar trucks and Myanmar people, but now they only work with Chinese trucks, so our trucks have to stay parked. They are currently transporting bananas to the Chinese side.
Among the trucks heading to the border to carry bananas, they squeeze the prices for Myanmar trucks. But they pay the rates for Chinese trucks. Most of us are just parked. Since there's no profit, we don't go out," he said.
Tissue-culture bananas grown in Myanmar are exported to China year-round. It is reported that since the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) took control of Waingmaw and Kan Pite Tee, Chinese trucks have been used for transport, leaving Myanmar truckers unemployed.
Truckers also noted that because there is no Myanmar government administration in these areas, Chinese trucks are entering and exiting without having to pay official taxes.
Scenes from Myanmar-China border trade.
Ko Aung Tun, another truck driver, told CNI News that the sidelining of Myanmar trucks and the resulting unemployment for drivers is due to political instability.
"I think this is happening because of political instability. It also depends on the traders. Since most of the goods are going to China, I think they trust and commission their own Chinese trucks. They don't pay customs duties this way. As drivers, we only earn our living when the trucks move. With Chinese trucks coming in, we are mostly stuck. I don't know how they will handle this or how it will proceed. We would be satisfied if we could just operate smoothly again," he said.
Currently, due to the government's 100-day plan, inspections and seizures of illegal goods entering from China and Thailand are being carried out across Myanmar. Consequently, truck drivers report that security inspections have been tightened along trade routes.
