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According to data from UN Comtrade and China Customs, mineral imports from Myanmar have increased dramatically in the aftermath of the coup. The total value of mineral exports from Myanmar amounted to over $3.4 billion USD in 2021 and 6.2 billion in 2022. The primary exports included jade, rare earth, tin, copper, nickel, and rubies.
China has historically been the largest trading partner in Myanmar’s mining sector, and it remains so in 2021 and 2022, despite mounting political and social unrest throughout the country. Furthermore, Western countries such as the USA, Switzerland, and Italy imported rubies and gemstones worth USD 96 million in 2021 and USD 75 million in 2022, potentially after sanctions had already been imposed on the Myanmar Gems Enterprise (MGE) in June 2021.
Informal mining has dramatically increased over the past two years, and informal exports of jade, tin, and rare earth are prevalent, with the majority of the revenue not being siphoned into the military’s coffers. However, revenue from the sale of copper and nickel is believed to continue flowing to the military.
To download the PDF: Assessing Mineral Import Data from Myanmar.pdf
