Decades of conflict have fueled a secretive rare earth mining industry in Myanmar that endangers workers and pollutes communities. Young people like Min have taken hazardous jobs at sites along the border with China, where landslides and toxic chemicals pose constant threats.
Min traveled from central Myanmar to an autonomous region controlled by an ethnic army earlier this year after a 2021 military coup destroyed job opportunities in his home area. He and his brother earned about 3,000 yuan monthly building roads at a rare earth site, but his brother died weeks later in a landslide. Local reports have documented at least five such fatal incidents in recent years.
The industry extracts heavy rare earths used in electric vehicles, wind turbines and weapons. China imported more than 320,000 tons from Myanmar between 2017 and 2024, making the country the top global source for these materials. Mining occurs in areas controlled by ethnic armies that collect taxes from operations while Chinese firms process the output across the border.
Workers describe exploitative conditions without contracts, irregular pay and exposure to acids that have caused burns and suspected long-term health effects. Environmental damage includes contaminated rivers, barren land and reduced crop yields, according to residents near sites in Kachin and Shan states.
Analysts note that global demand, combined with armed groups and weak oversight, sustains the operations despite documented pollution and labor abuses. China tightened domestic rules after past damage but applies fewer restrictions to activities in Myanmar.
