Myanmar coup: China border trade could be disrupted if military conflict intensifies, analysts say
- Cargo shipments are said to be uninterrupted at major trade port in Yunnan province, but people still not allowed to cross border amid pandemic
- China is Myanmar’s largest trading partner and its second-largest source of investment
“The traffic was cut off. Telecommunication was cut off, too. I have no idea when I can get my crabs in,” Sun said.
Given that he has few crabs in stock, and the crabs survive for only a few days, Sun said he dramatically raised his prices on Tuesday.
Myanmar’s military detained de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior politicians from the National League for Democracy party on Monday and then declared a national emergency. The airport in Yangon, the largest city, will remain closed until April 30. Before the coup, the Myanmar government had already extended the suspension of international commercial flights and restricted visitors until the end of February in a move to control the coronavirus.
Ruili Port, the largest land port on the China-Myanmar border, was operating as normal on Tuesday, according to a local government official who declined to give his name over the phone. He added that the port was allowing only cargo, not people, to pass through, due to the pandemic.
