Myanmar's tin-rich Wa State to discuss restarting mining with investors next week

By Violet Li and Lewis Jackson SHANGHAI, March 28 (Reuters) - Myanmar's tin-rich Wa State will hold a meeting with investors in the Manxiang mining area next week to discuss the resumption of mining in the region, according to a notice dated Wednesday. The meeting will take place April 1 at the Manxiang District Government Office, according to a notice from the Wa State Industrial Minerals Management Bureau seen by Reuters. Wa State spokesman Nyi Rang confirmed the notice but said it was uncertain when mining would resume. The meeting is progress towards restarting mining in Wa, which suspended all work at mines in areas it controls in August 2023 to protect resources. Mines in Wa produce 70% of the tin from Myanmar, the world's third-largest producer and a dominant supplier to China. China's imports of tin ore from Myanmar more than halved last year, customs data showed. Unlike the majority of Myanmar, which is under the control of the military junta, Wa State maintains its own political system, military, and economy, effectively making it a state within a state. The most-active tin contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange, SSNcv1, dipped 0.2% to 279,140 yuan ($38,422.57)a metric ton at 03500 GMT on Friday. (Reporting by Violet Li in Shanghai and Lewis Jackson in Beijing. Editing by Gerry Doyle) ((lewis.jackson@thomsonreuters.com; +86 139 1179 6497; Reuters Messaging: Wechat: LewisJackson92))