Myanmar: Domestic Issues Blamed on Chinese Failure to Block Illegal Timber Trade

Nov 9, 2014 | Eleven
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China is failing to control the illegal timber trade despite repeated requests from Myanmar, said the Union Minister of Environmental Conservation and Forestry Win Tun.Fear of Chinese unemployment and the demand for raw materials are preventing action, he added. “I have requested that the minister of State Forestry Administration of China and the regional government of Yunnan Province ban the illegal import of Myanmar’s timber. Also, I have asked the Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar to end the illicit timber trade using maps and photos as evidence,” he said. “Although the Central Government of China does not seem to support the illicit trade, the Yunnan administration prioritises its people’s employment and the supply of raw materials,” he said.Timber from Myanmar is being illegally traded to other neighbouring countries but illicit exports to Thailand are much lower than those to China.