Workers from Myanmar find new home in Yunnan

In the border industrial park in Ruili, Yunnan province, a growing number of workers from Myanmar are finding more than just jobs. They are gaining new skills, higher incomes and a stronger sense of belonging as cross-border employment deepens economic and people-to-people ties between China and Myanmar.

Among them is a woman from Myanmar who joined Dehong Xingdongtai Electronics Co three months ago. Now working as a translator in the company's inspection workshop, she has coordinated communication between employees while helping to oversee product quality.

Inside the workshop, employees work side by side, learning from one another in what company managers describe as a family-like environment.

"The language barrier was the biggest challenge at first," said Wu Haibo, the company's general manager. "But as they work together every day, communication becomes easier and the teams grow closer."

The collaboration extends beyond daily production. Tan Hong, head of the company's technical department, said many recruits from Myanmar arrived with little manufacturing experience. Through hands-on training, more than a dozen have advanced from assembly-line operators to skilled technicians.

To help the workers settle into life in Ruili, the company helped assisted in getting local SIM cards so they can stay connected with family members across the border. The cafeteria serves both Chinese and Burmese dishes, while birthday celebrations and holiday activities are organized to help build a sense of community.

"We hope the workshop can be more than a production line," Tan said. "It can also become a platform for friendship and mutual understanding between the people of our two countries."