Civilians feel the pinch as conflict hits Myanmar’s border trade with China

The fall of two more critical trade hubs near Myanmar’s border with China over the past week has further severed economic corridors propping up the country’s military regime—and imposed new hardships on its people.

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army, a member of the ethnic alliance that has been waging an offensive against the junta since the end of October, said it captured Namhsan, a town located just 108km from the Chinese border, on Friday, seizing an arsenal of weapons including anti-aircraft guns, artillery rounds, and hundreds of firearms. Days later, the group stormed the last remaining junta outpost in Namkham, located on the China-Myanmar border. Now it appears to be turning its sights on Muse, a town that handles nearly 90. . .