China’s rare earth dominance fueled by human rights abuses in Myanmar – By Jack Aylmer (Straight Arrow News) / May 24, 2024
China has dominated the global rare earth supply chain and is now using Myanmar, a nation plagued by political instability, violence and corruption, to obtain more of these resources. Its practices are known to cause harm to locals and the environment in the process. Due to the widespread proliferation of these materials to be used in emerging technologies across the globe, Beijing also implicated the international community in its exploitation of Myanmar’s rare earth reserves.
Global Witness, an organization that works to spotlight the links between natural resource extraction and human rights abuses, highlighted the detrimental effects of this trade with China on Myanmar’s populace and ecosystem. The group revealed that this harmful practice, driven by Beijing’s need for rare earths, exacerbated many of Myanmar’s existing issues.
“It’s a really extreme example of where there is widespread destruction for these specific elements,” Ben Ayre, head of data investigations at Global Witness, said. “It takes place in the context of a really volatile region, one where there is active conflict, and the funds that are going into it are not insignificant.”
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