Burmese jade

The Burmese jade industry is dominated by companies connected to the army.

A new report by Global Witness, an NGO, estimates that $31 billion of Burmese jade was sold in 2014, mostly on the black market.

During an interview, Shi Hongyue, vice secretary general of the Gems & Jewelry Trade Association of China, refused to even discuss the ills plaguing the Burmese jade trade.

The state-affiliated Gems & Jewelry Trade Association of China estimates that annual sales of jade are as high as $5 billion, more than half of which comes from Burmese jade.

“The top dogs are the Burmese military,” said Mr. Davis of Global Witness, which has investigated the Burmese jade trade.