Border trade activities start to resume in Myanmar northern state

29 November 2016
Border trade activities start to resume in Myanmar northern state

Border trade activities between Myanmar's northern Shan state and China has resumed after several days' suspension due to outbreak of military conflicts last week, Myanmar's ministry of information said Monday. 
About 800 members of four ethnic military groups in Shan State launched coordinated attacks on government posts and the Muse border trade zone on Nov. 20. 
Following the attacks no traffic were allowed to pass on through the route near Muse, Kutkai and Lashio townships, which are economic centers of Shan states. Over 1,000 trucks were jammed along the route.
The trade gate was re-opened on Friday and trucks have been allowed to enter, as stability has been restored in Muse district, the ministry said. 
Trade value through Muse trade gate on Nov. 25 reached nearly 1 million US dollars, it said. 
Muse gate is the largest border trade zone out of four border gates between Myanmar and China. About 80 percent of total border trade between China and Myanmar passes through Muse trade gate.
The total trade value through Muse border trade gate reached nearly 3.2 billion US dollars in this fiscal year 2016-2017 as of Nov.18, according to official figures of the ministry of commerce of Myanmar. 
The ethnic military groups targeted government military outposts and police stations in Muse, Kutkai, Monekoe, Kyukoke, Phangsang, Manken and Kyinsan kyawk (Honang) as well as the Muse border trade gate.
Courtesy Global Times