Myanmar Junta Pushes Ruby and Sapphire Sales to China Amid Sanctions

缅媒：缅甸军政府在制裁中推动向中国出售红宝石和蓝宝石

作者：伊洛瓦底江         来源：伊洛瓦底江

Myanmar Junta Pushes Ruby and Sapphire Sales to China Amid Sanctions

A buyer inspects a ruby at the gems market in Mogoke town, north of Mandalay.  / AFP

在曼德勒北部的抹谷镇，一名买家在宝石市场检查一颗红宝石。/法新社

As international sanctions continue to squeeze Myanmar’s lucrative gemstone industry, the military regime has turned to China to sell the country’s precious rubies and sapphires—even as it loses control of key mining regions.

随着国际制裁继续挤压缅甸利润丰厚的宝石业，军政府已经转向中国，向中国出售该国珍贵的红宝石和蓝宝石——尽管它已经失去了对关键矿区的控制。

On Tuesday, the junta’s Ministry of Commerce hosted a promotional event titled “The Soul Treasure of Myanmar” in Nanning, in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Province.

周二，军政府的商务部在中国广西壮族省南宁市举办了一场名为“缅甸的灵魂宝藏”的宣传活动。

Speaking at the event, Commerce Minister Chit Swe highlighted the quality of Myanmar’s rubies and sapphires, pointing out that the country’s sapphires rank second globally, behind only Sri Lanka’s. He emphasized the regime’s intent to penetrate the Chinese market, arguing the gems would appeal strongly to Chinese buyers, given the popularity of Myanmar’s jade in its northern neighbor.

商务部长Chit Swe在活动上强调了缅甸红宝石和蓝宝石的质量，并指出该国的蓝宝石在全球排名第二，仅次于斯里兰卡。他强调了缅甸政府打入中国市场的意图。他说，鉴于缅甸玉石在中国这个北方邻国很受欢迎，这些宝石将对中国买家产生强烈的吸引力。

At the event, Yangon Region Gems and Jewellery Entrepreneurs Association Chairman Aung Kyaw Zin briefed attendees on Myanmar gems’ market potential, and the association and the Myanmar Trade Centre (Hainan) signed an MoU agreeing to work together to market Myanmar’s gemstones in China.

在活动上，仰光地区宝石和珠宝企业家协会主席Aung Kyaw Zin向与会者介绍了缅甸宝石的市场潜力，该协会与缅甸贸易中心（海南）签署了谅解备忘录，同意共同努力在中国销售缅甸宝石。

The event drew business representatives from Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Yunnan, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau and other Chinese regions with market potential, according to junta media.

据军政府媒体报道，此次活动吸引了来自广西、广东、湖南、云南、海南、香港、澳门和其他具有市场潜力的中国地区的商业代表。

Chit Swe said he hoped the event would connect Myanmar’s gemstone traders with Chinese buyers.

Chit Swe说，他希望这次活动能将缅甸的宝石贸易商与中国买家联系起来。

The gemstone sector has long been one of Myanmar’s most valuable sources of foreign currency. But following the military coup in February 2021, the United States and United Kingdom imposed sanctions targeting the junta’s revenue streams—including the gem trade.

长期以来，宝石行业一直是缅甸最宝贵的外汇来源之一。但在2021年2月的军事政变之后，美国和英国对军政府的收入来源实施了制裁，其中包括宝石贸易。

The regime has continued to organize annual gem expos in Naypyitaw—events that usually attract Chinese buyers. The regime is now seeking to formalize ruby and sapphire exports to China, capitalizing on warming bilateral relations.

缅甸政府继续在内比都组织一年一度的宝石博览会，这些活动通常会吸引中国买家。缅甸政府目前正寻求利用双边关系升温，将红宝石和蓝宝石对华出口正式化。

Just weeks before the latest promotional push, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing made his first official visit to China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. Both sides pledged to deepen cooperation across multiple sectors, including trade and investment.

双方承诺深化包括贸易和投资在内的多个领域的合作。

Myanmar’s rubies and sapphires are primarily sourced from Mogoke Township in Mandalay Region. However, the junta lost control of Mogoke in July 2024 when the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and allied People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) seized the area.

缅甸的红宝石和蓝宝石主要来自曼德勒地区的抹谷镇。然而，军政府在2024年7月失去了对Mogoke的控制，当时德昂民族解放军（TNLA）和盟军人民国防军（PDFs）占领了该地区。

Junta Commerce Minister Chit Swe attends the “Myanmar-China Economic Cooperation-Soul Treasure of Myanmar” event, jointly organized by the Myanmar Trade Promotion Organization of the Ministry of Commerce and the Yangon Region Gems and Jewellery Entrepreneurs Association, in Nanning, China. / GNLM

商务部缅甸贸易促进组织和仰光地区宝石珠宝企业家协会在中国南宁共同举办了“缅中经济合作——缅甸的灵魂宝藏”活动。/ GNLM

The TNLA officially permitted small-scale mining in September 2024. While companies affiliated with the previous military junta were banned from operating, locals allege that large-scale mining rights have been granted to individuals connected to TNLA leaders and foreign business interests, particularly from China and Myanmar’s Wa State, and that those mining operations are causing serious environmental damage. Wa State is controlled by Myanmar’s largest ethnic armed organization, the United Wa State Army (UWSA).

TNLA于2024年9月正式允许小规模采矿。虽然与前军政府有关联的公司被禁止经营，但当地人声称，与TNLA领导人和外国商业利益有关的个人，特别是来自中国和缅甸佤邦的个人，获得了大规模的采矿权，这些采矿活动正在造成严重的环境破坏。佤邦由缅甸最大的民族武装组织佤联军（UWSA）控制。

The regime has responded by threatening legal action against unauthorized extraction of the country’s resources and launching airstrikes on resistance-held territories, including Mogoke.

军政权的回应是，威胁要对未经授权开采该国资源的行为采取法律行动，并对包括Mogoke在内的抵抗组织控制的领土发动空袭。

China is pressuring the TNLA to halt its offensives against the junta, and is likely to welcome the regime’s gemstones push among Chinese buyers, thereby providing a critical financial lifeline for Myanmar’s military leadership.

中国正在向TNLA施压，要求其停止对军政府的进攻，并可能欢迎军政府在中国买家中推销宝石，从而为缅甸军方领导层提供一条关键的财政生命线。

According to a Global Witness report, starting in the 1990s, Myanmar’s military consolidated control over the country’s ruby mines through military-owned companies Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) and Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL). Both are controlled by regime leader Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in the 2021 coup.

根据全球见证的一份报告，从20世纪90年代开始，缅甸军方通过军方拥有的缅甸经济公司（MEC）和缅甸经济控股有限公司（MEHL）巩固了对该国红宝石矿的控制。这两个国家都由在2021年政变中夺取政权的政权领导人敏昂莱（Min Aung Hlaing）控制。

The military has also granted lucrative ruby mining licenses to the UWSA, Shan State Army-North and other armed groups in Shan State. Nominally enemies, the groups have profited from the mining and are compromised by their business relationships with the military, Global Witness said.

军方还向佤联军、掸邦北军和掸邦的其他武装组织颁发了利润丰厚的红宝石开采许可证。全球见证说，这些组织名义上是敌人，但它们从采矿中获利，并因与军方的商业关系而受到损害。

According to the Global Witness report, Myanmar’s colored gemstone industry was worth “an average of $346 million to $415 million a year based on official production data”. However, the rights watchdog estimated that the sector could in reality be worth as much as five times that amount.

根据全球见证的报告，缅甸的有色宝石产业“根据官方生产数据，平均每年价值3.46亿至4.15亿美元”。然而，人权监督机构估计，该行业的实际价值可能高达这一数字的5倍。

作者：伊洛瓦底江         来源：伊洛瓦底江