Home World News China’s love for jade: Coveted gemstones smuggled out of Myanmar

China’s love for jade: Coveted gemstones smuggled out of Myanmar

Myanmar is the world’s leading producer of jade. Up to 90 percent of global supply of the precious stone is mined in the country’s northern Kachin state, despite a decades-long armed rebellion raging there. According to the NGO Global Witness, some 90 percent of this jade is then smuggled out of the country – almost all of it to neighbouring China. Once favoured by emperors to defy death, jade and its knock-offs continue to be worn as a status symbol. Our correspondents Yena Lee, Yorben den Hartog and Jasmine Ling report. 

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

Dalai Lama announces he will have successor after his death

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday affirmed that the centuries-old...

Real Madrid into Club World Cup quarter-finals with 1-0 win over Juventus

Real Madrid advanced to the Club World Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday after...

Qantas says hackers breached system holding data on 6 million customers

Australia’s flagship carrier says it believes a ‘significant’ amount of personal data...