中缅非法跨境活牛贸易的时空过程与运作机制OA北大核心CSTPCD

Since the 1990s,border security has been a pressing issue in political geography.With the increasing interactions between China and its neighboring countries,border security has increased the attention of scholars and government officials.Security issues along the China-Myanmar border are particularly eye-catching owing to Myanmar's fast-changing social and political reforms and unrest,as well as the complicated situation in Northern Myanmar that has gathered a large number of armed ethnic minorities.Tensions have resulted in prominent traditional and non-traditional security issues along the China-Myanmar border.Illegal cross-border trade is one non-traditional security problem in the region;specifically,illegal cross-border cattle trade is a particular but understudied case.This study investigates the actors,transportation,and social networks involved in illegal cross-border cattle trade.Using first-hand materials collected in the border area and secondary archives,the study analyzes the spatial and temporal features and operation mechanisms of smuggling.The main conclusions are as follows:(1)From the perspective of the time stage,the study identifies approximately three stages.Before 2004,the illegal cross-border cattle trade,relying on kin relationships,was in its embryonic stage.From 2004 to 2018,the domestic beef market was in short supply,and the illegal cross-border cattle trade,this time relying on nepotism,gradually became more frequent,reaching 1.6-2 million heads per year and entering the development stage.Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2018 and 2020,owing to the enhanced border control,the volume of illegal cross-border trade has plummeted,decreasing by around tens of thousands to more than 100,000 each year,and then entering a period of extinction.(2)Spatially,illegal cross-border trade mainly comprises three routes:the northern,central,and southern routes,from northern India to China's Yunnan Province through northern Myanmar.Among the three routes,the middle route sees the largest number of cross-border cattle,among which,the cross-border flow of cattle from Myanmar through the Yunnan Ruili Nongdao channel is the largest,followed by the northern route;the southern route sees the lowest number.(3)The China-Myanmar illegal cross-border cattle trade relies on the trust bond,regulation,and enforcement mechanism provided by the natural geographical environment and cross-border nepotism,thus forming a complete social network trade chain.The study suggests methods to control illegal cross-border trade by simplifying formal trade and strengthening the construction of smart borders.The findings provide reference for the prevention and control of illegal cross-border trade.Although illegal cross-border cattle trade can be regarded as a type of illegal cross-border trade,owing to the large volume of live cattle,the transportation is more difficult,and it is easier to detect.As such,the choice of illegal cross-border routes is quite different from that of general small goods and is more obviously affected by natural geographical conditions and social and interpersonal network factors.Thus,illegal cross-border cattle trade provides a unique case study of the relations between illegal cross-border trade and human,physical,and geographical conditions.