China's expanding rare‑earth mining drives heavy‑metal pollution in the Mekong basin

China’s rapid growth of its rare‑earth industry has shifted much of the mining to Myanmar’s Kachin and Shan states after the 2021 coup, where the number of sites rose from about 130 in 2020 to over 370 by the end of 2024. Exports to China more than doubled in the two years after the coup, accounting for 85 % of the $4.2 billion reported between 2017 and 2024, and by 2023 Myanmar supplied over 60 % of China’s heavy rare‑earth imports, exceeding China’s own domestic quota.

American satellite analysis identified 833 unregulated mines in the Mekong River basin, with 86 confirmed rare‑earth operations using blue‑lit leaching ponds, many opened between 2024 and 2026. Heavy metals—arsenic, lead, cadmium and manganese—have entered the Mekong’s main flow, with arsenic levels above safety standards detected at all 23 monitoring sites in Thailand’s Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces. These contaminants settle in river sediment, accumulate in fish and crops such as rice, garlic and soybeans, and thus enter the global food supply chain.

Chinese firms and buyers are reported to work directly with armed groups such as the United Wa State Army and the Kachin Independence Army, financing conflict while avoiding responsibility for the environmental damage. Beijing’s dominance in rare‑earth processing gives it a geopolitical lever that could be used to pressure markets in Washington, Tokyo and Brussels, yet regional bodies lack authority to compel upstream changes.