When the earth collapsed, as it does nearly every day in the jade hills of Myanmar, Ye Min Naing was poised on a steep slope of rubble and scree. It was a rainy night six months ago, at the tail end of the monsoons. A truck with wheels the height of a man had just […]
US sanctions force jade into a corner, say traders
Jade traders say US sanctions have forced them to rely on Chinese investors and buyers, who dodge taxes and operate with little to no transparency. If Washington were to remove sanctions, they say, it would speed up reform in the troubled sector. Since the US banned imports of gems and jade in 2003, China has […]
Myanmar Awards Offshore Oil and Gas Deals to Foreign Firms
YANGON — Myanmar’s Ministry of Energy on Wednesday announced that it has awarded international firms, mostly from Western nations, 20 areas in its waters to explore for oil and gas. The government has invited international firms to come in and help bolster state revenues by tapping into Myanmar’s oil and gas reserves, and large multinationals […]