China’s thriving rare earth industry is causing significant pollution in the Mekong River, impacting countries like Thailand downstream. Heavy metals such as arsenic have been found in the river’s sediment, as reported by Myanmar’s Mizzima news portal. China, while tightening environmental regulations in its own rare earth sector, has moved mining operations to Myanmar’s Kachin and Shan States following a military coup in 2021.
In Kachin State alone, the number of mining sites surged from around 130 in 2020 to over 370 by the end of 2024. Myanmar’s rare earth exports to China, particularly heavy rare earths used in EV motors and wind turbines, more than doubled post-coup. Satellite imagery from the Stimson Centre has revealed 833 unregulated mines in the Mekong River Basin, with 86 identified as rare earth operations using leaching ponds covered with blue tarpaulin.
Arsenic contamination has now reached the Mekong’s mainstream, with testing in Thai regions showing levels exceeding safety standards for the first time. The pollution has spread to the river’s tributaries, affecting the local ecosystem. The article also highlights how Chinese companies, bypassing domestic regulations, engage with armed groups in Myanmar to source rare earth materials, contributing to environmental degradation and funding civil unrest.
China’s dominance in rare earth processing capacity has allowed it to wield this resource as a geopolitical tool, using export restrictions to exert pressure in trade disputes. Despite the pollution’s transboundary impact, China shows little concern for neighboring countries’ environmental well-being. Regional bodies lack the authority to enforce changes upstream, and China’s foreign ministry has remained unresponsive to inquiries regarding the crisis fueled by mineral imports.
