Blood jades: The dark side of Myanmar's trade with China
(Updated: )
The jade trade between Myanmar and China is worth
an estimated US$30 billion a year - about half of Myanmar’s GDP. But
jade mining is a bloodstained business built on drug addiction, slave
labour and massive environmental destruction. Who should be responsible
for the dark side of jade?
Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/blood-jades-the-dark-side-of-myanmar-s-trade-with-china-10694720
I watch this 6 minute clip presented by Channel News Asia. It talked about the primitive mining processes of jade in Myanmar and the low skilled labour that went scouring for jade in the country side and the mines. The poor workers took to drug addiction and many even died when mines collapsed or when there is a landslide.
Who is responsible for this? According to the author, China is responsible. Why, because China is the biggest buyer of jade. Oh, logical thinking. Is China involved in the mining? No. Who regulates the mining, the mines, the mine owners, the pay of the workers? China or the Myanmar govt or the mine owners?
The role of the Chinese jade merchants is simply to go to the jade market in the streets and shops to buy jade. They have no role in the mining of jade. Everything is controlled by the Myanmar govt. Incidentally Chinese companies would not be given licence to operate jade mines in Myanmar. This is a national treasure that only Myanmese are allowed to engage in.
So, why is China responsible for the plight of the workers, their deplorable working condition, the exploitation of the workers, their drug addiction? Who employed these workers, paid them, who supplied drugs to these workers? China?
The CNA commentator interviewed a Myanmese in the clip and the Myanmese also conveniently claimed that China, the Chinese govt is responsible for the plight of the jade workers. Believe it? Third world mindset, blame others. I can't blame the author Pearl Forss because as a white man, all the problems in the world are created by China and other counties except by the whites. The whites are the angels and the saviours of human civilisation through conquest, invasion, colonialism and imperialism. China is the bad guy in everything.
Here in the jade industry, if the Chinese would not be the buyers and not spending billions annually in Myanmar, there would be no problem of jade workers suffering from exploitation and drug addition. They would live better lives and Myanmar would be richer. It is all China's fault. China should stop contributing half of the Myanmese GDP and Myanmar and the Myanmese would be richer and happier people.
My recommendation is for China to cease buying jade from Myanmar and all the problems would go away. Maybe if the white men were to start buying jade from Myanmar instead of China, the fate of the jade workers would be better. They would intervene and tell the Myanmese govt how to run the jade mines and imposed safety regulations, minimum wage and hygiene and good living conditions for the workers.
This kind of one sided mischievous articles blaming China for everything in the world, even the exploitation of jade workers, when China has no right to interfere, is the modus operandi of subversive western media. They simply accused and alleged that China is responsible for the plight of Myanmese jade workers even when China has nothing to do with them except spending billions as buyers of jade. Unwary and unthinking viewers would simply be taken in by this one sided presentation of the author.
The same logic can be apply generally to Singapore as we buy everything from the rest of the world. So if the farmers or fishermen were ill treated, took to drugs, underpaid in their countries, the Singapore govt is responsible. Is this logical thinking or subversive reasoning?
Next time if you patronise a hawker centre, make sure the old uncles and aunties cleaning the tables are not badly treated, paid well, and not indulging in drugs. Because as a customer, you are responsible for their welfare and good health, not the employer or the govt.
The whites would continue to create such rubbish and stir up shit to smear China and the Chinese people given the opportunity, and the little USAs would be ready and most willing to give a helping hand. This is the same western smear like China giving cheap loans, helping to build infrastructures but if the recipient country miscalculated, mismanaged then it is China's fault.
PS. How would such articles be classified, fake news, disinformation, mischievous article or responsible/irresponsible or objective news?