BEJING
\nA Myanmar-China border crossing vital to trade has partially reopened after years of pandemic-prompted closure. Covid-19 shuttered the Muse-Ruili checkpoint – among the Southeast Asian nation\u2019s busiest – in April 2020.
\nOne of Muse town\u2019s border gates opened on Saturday at 7:00 am (1230 GMT), according to an official in Myanmar\u2019s northern Shan state.
\nSix trucks made the short relay trip at the Mang Wein crossing, said U Min Thein, vice-chairman of the Muse Rice Commodity Exchange.
\n\u201cChina only allowed us to export food and drink at the moment,\u201d U Min Thein told the AFP news agency on Sunday.
\nBut he said they were not permitted to send over economic mainstays – including rice, broken rice, beans and watermelons.
\nFor those, traders had to use the Kyinsankyawt border gate outside Muse, he said.
\nThe Kyinsankyawt checkpoint partially reopened under similar circumstances in May last year, according to state media.
\nOn Saturday, U Min Thein said, China exported construction and industrial equipment, electrical appliances, medical devices, consumer and household goods, as well as food products.
\n\u201cBut China had not yet allowed people to cross the border,\u201d he said.
\nThe Muse checkpoint\u2019s reopening has been persistently stalled by both sides, and the Chinese city of Ruili has faced multiple lockdowns to limit the spread of Covid.
\nChina recently declared an end to its zero-Covid policy, and has since recorded a massive spike in infections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BEJING A Myanmar-China border crossing vital to trade has partially reopened after years of pandemic-prompted closure. Covid-19 shuttered the Muse-Ruili checkpoint – among the Southeast Asian nation\u2019s busiest – in April 2020. One of Muse town\u2019s border gates opened on Saturday at 7:00 am (1230 GMT), according to an official in Myanmar\u2019s northern Shan state. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":307706,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-307686","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n