Mawlamyine, January (4)
The China-Myanmar border trade gates, which have been closed for almost three years due to COVID-19 restrictions, will reopen on January 8, the border traders told Than Lwin Times.
Since the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, China has closed the Sino-Myanmar border gates, and only one of them—the Kyin San Kyawt—has been allowed to reopen under strict rules.
Now, the Chinese government has officially announced that it will reopen the border gates of Mangwen, Nan Daw, Sinbyu, and Pansai, which have been closed for almost three years.
It is reported that the Chinese border trade gates will be free to pass through from 8:00 am to 11:30 pm daily China time, and goods can be exported according to the specified rules.
A border merchant remarked that costs and commodity prices will go down if the trade gates between China and Myanmar are reopened.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, border trade between China and Myanmar has been suspended. During pandemic, the trade between the two nations has plummeted by approximately 65 percent, and in some months, it has totally ceased.
At present, only Kyin San Kywat gate is open in the town of Muse on the China-Myanmar border, which trades with about 130 trucks every day. Border traders say that if all the gates are opened, they will be able to trade with thousands of trucks.
Myanmar imports rice, broken rice, maize, green gram, sesame, oil crops, peas, watermelons, melon, rubber, kitchenware, and aquatic products into China through the border trade gate and imports construction materials, electrical equipment, machinery, fertilizers, medicines, foodstuff, and other commodities from China. News-Than Lwin Times
