Myanmar’s China-backed mega dam revival risks Kachin rebel backlash

Restarting the shelved US$3.6 billion Myitsone Dam project could ultimately come down to Beijing’s ‘risk tolerance’

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People from Myanmar's Kachin state protest against the Myitsone Dam project in Waimaw, near the state capital Myitkyina, in April 2019. Photo: AFP

Myanmar people hold a rally in Yangon in 2020 to protest against any reinstatement of the Myitsone project. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:00am, 1 Jun 2026

Deep in the forested highlands of northern Myanmar, where the Irrawaddy River rises from two tributaries in the hills of Kachin state, a contentious infrastructure project is stirring again – and threatening to reopen wounds that never fully healed.

The Myitsone Dam, a US$3.6 billion Chinese-financed hydroelectric megaproject that was shelved more than a decade ago after igniting a storm of popular fury, is back on the table.

Myanmar’s military rulers have begun holding public consultations on resuming construction, a move analysts say risks a fresh confrontation with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), a powerful ethnic armed group that controls much of the surrounding territory.

The push to restart the project reportedly came on the heels of a high-profile visit to Naypyidaw in April by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who pledged deeper investment ties and support for the country’s newly formalised leadership.

Min Aung Hlaing – the general who led the coup that toppled Myanmar’s democratically elected government in February 2021, plunging his country into diplomatic isolation and civil war – was sworn in as president a little over two weeks before Wang’s visit.

Myanmar military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in 2017, four years before his coup. Photo: EPA

Rebel resistance

When the Myitsone Dam was initially shelved, it represented a rare moment of political responsiveness in Myanmar. Thein Sein, another ex-general turned president, suspended the project in 2011 following a fierce backlash.

Myanmar’s China-backed mega dam revival risks Kachin rebel backlash

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Restarting the shelved US$3.6 billion Myitsone Dam project could ultimately come down to Beijing’s ‘risk tolerance’

Rebel resistance

Restarting the shelved US$3.6 billion Myitsone Dam project could ultimately come down to Beijing’s ‘risk tolerance’