Border trade merchants said that Sino-Myanmar border trade gates would be reopened on 8 January after closure for three years because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Man Wein gate, Nandaw (palace) gate, Sinphyu (white elephant) gate, Pangsai gate in Muse-Jiegong trade zone will be reopened after being closed for three years.

Currently only the Kyinsankyawt gate is open and border trade is being conducted through this gate.

Chinese officials have given the green light to reopening of these gates.

Kyinsankyawt gate has been operating under strict restrictions and conditions.

At these border-trade gates reopened by China, the traders can cross freely from 8 am to 11:30 pm China standard time daily and they can export their commodities with prescribed regulations.

A border trade merchant said that after reopening of these border-trade gates people could move freely through them and costs for trading would fall too which would make the commodity prices fall.

After China closed all of these gates because of COVID outbreak, the border trade between two countries fell by nearly 65% and in some months, trade was almost stopped.

Currently only Kyinsankyawt gate was opened in Muse, the border town, so that only 130 trucks could move through this gate daily for trading and after reopening of all of these gates, thousands of trucks will be able to move, the border trade merchants said.

Among these gates which will be reopened, Manwein gate which had the highest flow of trucks and goods with 500 trucks daily is included so that trading between two countries will be better and the local residents will get more job opportunities too.

Currently as the Chinese lunar New Year festival is drawing close, the trading of watermelon is brisk in the market again after being almost stopped in the marker in last few months.