China closes more Myanmar border crossings as Kachin armed group steps up offensive

Chinese authorities have shut down all border crossings linked to territories controlled by the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), an ethnic armed group engaged in an ongoing offensive against Myanmar’s military junta. The closure went into effect on Saturday following the KIO’s rejection of a Chinese request to halt its military operations during a meeting on Friday between Chinese diplomats and KIO officials in Yingjiang, Yunnan Province, near the KIO’s headquarters in Laiza. The situation escalated as the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the military wing of the KIO, reportedly captured the town of Pangwa on the China-Myanmar border in Kachin State on Saturday morning following heavy clashes with junta troops. Sources in Laiza said China is not happy with the KIA’s continued military campaign and its lack of communication regarding future operations against the junta. Kachin State, which borders China’s Yunnan Province, has several key border trading points, including Laiza, Lwegel in Momauk Township, and Kan Paik Ti (Kampaiti) in Waimaw Township. The KIA captured Lwegel in April and is continuing its efforts to gain control of Kan Paik Ti. Border trade through Lwegel was valued at over US$120 million from April 2023 to February 2024, according to official data. Ethnic armed groups have also gained control of major China-Myanmar border crossings in northern Shan State, where the junta has lost a wide swathe of territory over the past year. In recent months, China has cut off cross-border shipments of food, fuel, and medicine to parts of the state under the control of regime opponents in a bid to pressure them to end their military operations. Last week, however, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, a member of the ethnic alliance that launched a major anti-junta offensive in October of last year, captured another town, Hsipaw, located on an important trade route. Lway Yay Oo, the group’s spokesperson, said that efforts were being made to source goods from within Myanmar as China’s blockade continues. The KIA also shows no sign of relenting in its efforts to take more territory, as it continues its push to capture a “special region” under the control of a Border Guard Force allied to the regime.

China closes more Myanmar border crossings as Kachin armed group steps up offensive

The move comes amid reports that the Kachin Independence Army captured another key town on the border over the weekend

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