How life has changed along China’s border with South-East Asia

China's border with South-East Asia has become one of its tightest, with a steel wall aimed at stopping covid and illegal activity, impacting the lives of residents and international trade.

March 18, 2023 . 12:38 PM

1 min read

China's border with South-East Asia has become one of its tightest, with a steel wall topped with barbed wire, cameras and speakers.
The border wall aimed to keep covid out of the country, and officials now see it as a way to stop smuggling and other illegal activity.
China's southern borderlands were once famously fractious, but now the Southern Great Wall cuts through fields and forests.
Residents of Yunnan are happy with the new controls, but many are dejected and nostalgic for the days when international travel amounted to walking across a field or through some woods.
Now, people must travel long distances to cross the border and the cost of goods has risen.