One of the seven ethnic states of Myanmar. It is a part of the Upper Burma region. Kachin is located in the north of the country, on the border with China. It has rich deposits of minerals, especially jade. This contributed to the development of illegal mining and trade, primarily with China. Along with this, drug trafficking is quite common here. As a result, Kachin is in a good financial position, which allows the separatists of the state to maintain their own army.
The titular ethnic group - Kachin people (or Jingpho) - make up about 40% of the region's population. They differ from the main ethnic group of the country (Burmese) in religion. During the period of the British Empire, Kachin people were converted to Christianity. Even then, there was a conflict between the Burmese and the Kachin, since the British opposed the Burmese mountain tribes, using the latter as an instrument of domination. During the creation of an independent Burma, Burmese leader, General Aung San, managed to reach an agreement with some mountain peoples, including Kachin. As a result of the decisions of the Panglong Conference, an autonomous state of Kachin was established in 1947.
During the period of military governments in Myanmar, the balance was violated, and for many decades the armed conflict between the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and the central government continued. In recent decades, in the context of the democratization process, attempts to restore balance in relations with ethnic groups have intensified. In 2016, "The Union Peace Conference - 21st Century Panglong" began its work, aiming at the resolution of the existing contradictions.
