China to set up ‘restricted zone’ near Myanmar border to stop human trafficking by cybercrime gangs

From October 1, city in Yunnan province will control flow of people and vehicles in area bordering the Southeast Asian country

Law enforcement agencies are cracking down on criminal groups that lure Chinese citizens to the country to force them to work for telecoms scam rings

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China’s Yunnan province shares a border with northern Myanmar, much of which is mountainous and plagued by civil unrest. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 6:03pm, 27 Sep 2023Updated: 6:26pm, 27 Sep 2023

Authorities in southwestern China’s Yunnan province have announced they will set up a restricted zone near the Myanmar border in an attempt to prevent human trafficking by telecoms fraud gangs that target Chinese nationals.

From October 1 until the end of this year, the city of Tengchong will control the entry of people and vehicles into the zone, according to a notice issued by local authorities on Tuesday.

The zone aims to track and manage the flow of people and vehicles to reduce the risk of cross-border human trafficking and telecoms fraud operations in northern Myanmar.

Chinese law enforcement agencies have sought new ways to fight overseas fraud rings that target Chinese nationals. For example, police in multiple Chinese cities have urged citizens to block all incoming overseas calls if they are not regularly in contact with people outside mainland China.

Myanmar shares its northeastern border with Yunnan province. Northern Myanmar is a mountainous area plagued by civil unrest. The county-level city of Tengchong in western Yunnan borders Myanmar’s Kachin State.

Beijing has called on Myanmar to crack down on criminal groups that target Chinese nationals and lure victims across the border.

Last month, China vowed to work with Thailand and Laos through a special cooperative mechanism to crack down on Myanmar-based cybercrime gangs.