Mining Ban by Myanmar’s Wa State to Exacerbate Tin Ore Shortages

Wa State, Myanmar, has announced the suspension of its mining operations from 1st August 2023. The document released on 15th April 2023 by the Wa State Central Economic Planning Commission said, “in order to protect the remaining mineral resources in Wa State in a timely manner, all mining and excavation of mineral resources are suspended until mature mining conditions are in place”.  Mines with existing licenses will have three months to adapt to the new requirements.

Although the proportion of tin ore imported from Myanmar to the total import volume of China has been decreasing year by year, Myanmar is still the main source of China’s tin ore imports. If this policy is implemented, it will undoubtedly exacerbate the current situation of tin concentrate shortages, and even further affect the world's tin concentrate supply.

The International Tin Association (ITA) will pay close attention to the subsequent development of this incident.