Mandalay Region
Myanmar's cultural capital and China trade gateway facing economic collapse amid post-coup conflict.
Mandalay Region is Myanmar's second economic pole—the cultural heartland and trading hub connecting central Burma to China. The city of Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest, functions as gateway for cross-border commerce with Yunnan Province and anchor for the Dry Zone agricultural economy.
The region's economy historically combined trade, manufacturing, and services. Chinese business networks dominated cross-border commerce. Jade and gem trading passed through Mandalay markets. Manufacturing served domestic and export markets. All these activities contracted severely following the 2021 coup.
Civil conflict intensified in 2024-2025, with resistance forces operating in surrounding areas. Mandalay city remains under military control, but supply lines face disruption. The proposed 'two-polar growth strategy' (Yangon-Mandalay) assumed political stability that no longer exists.
The biological pattern is dual-center disruption: both of Myanmar's economic poles face simultaneous collapse, eliminating the redundancy that might otherwise enable recovery.