"China-invested copper mine in Myanmar set to resume after election-period shutdown", Myanmar Now, 5 March 2026

A major Chinese-backed copper mining project in Sagaing Region’s Salingyi Township is preparing to resume operations after a months-long suspension [...].

The project, run by Wanbao Mining—a subsidiary of China’s state-owned arms manufacturer NORINCO—was halted for about three months starting in early December, officially due to fuel shortages needed to run mining machinery.

Residents and workers, however, say the shutdown was widely believed to be intended to avoid attacks by resistance forces during the month-long election period that ended in late January.

During the shutdown, around 100 soldiers were stationed at a checkpoint near the mining compound. Residents say troops have carried out patrols in nearby villages since operations resumed.

Soldiers at a checkpoint along the Monywa–Yinmabin road near the project have also been extorting money from travellers, according to residents.

The junta has intensified its military operations across Sagaing Region in recent weeks following the defection of Bo Nagar, leader of the Burma National Revolution Army resistance group based in Pale Township, west of Salingyi.

(BHRC had sought for response from Wanbao Mining and NORINCO regarding the ongoing safety threat in the copper project, without response. The related non-response can be found here.)