A new jade market is opening in Muse at the China border for the benefit of Myanmar sellers who do not want to go into China to trade. Sellers cite various difficulties in taking their business into China, such as cost of living and the likelihood authorities will side with locals in any dispute. Muse is adjacent to Ruili in China, where a lot of trade now takes place.
The project involves a cooperative effort between the Shan state government and a construction firm. In addition to the large marketplace there will be apartments, hotels and a bus terminal capable of handling a thousand vehicles. It is also quite possible that the annual Myanmar jade auctions will relocate to the new market.
Here is a related story from the Myanmar Times.
In other jade news, the noted financial publication Hong Kong Economic Journal has called for a boycott of Myanmar jade. Many shops in Hong Kong feature Myanmar jade, where the unsuspecting buyer may be offered a $9 object for $9,100.
The article criticizes the jade trade of Myanmar as painful and brutal. "The best jade mines in Myanmar are controlled by the elite class, and the miners are often drug addicts. Yaba, a cheap form of meth, whips up their systems to work long hours in harsh conditions. In shooting alleys, heroin numbs the pain in their bodies after extended shifts." The article says buyers of Myanmar jade are contributing to the desperation of laborers in that country.
Instability and corruption in the jade trade in Myanmar cause problems for dealers in Hong Kong and China, according to the article.
Here is a link to the article.
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