China has sought agricultural integration with neighbouring countries to access resources, promote economic development and border stability, and to manage problems of food safety, biosecurity and smuggling. Based on fieldwork and primary data from both sides of the border, this article examines the way that these forces play out in the case of the Myanmar–China cattle trade. Both countries have embarked on the formidable task of diverting a large flow of smuggled cattle into formal channels where cattle are inspected for diseases and taxes levied. While these measures were facilitated by high-level policy support and about US$1 billion in government and corporate investment, they have not been successful in formalising and expanding the trade. This is primarily because the Myanmar government was concerned with resource depletion and because smuggling is more profitable for value chain actors. As such, these concerns should be incorporated into future revised trade programmes. This article enhances our understanding of China’s cross-border integration programme and provides new empirical data for researchers of trade policy, transboundary disease management and agricultural development.