Home · World · Nov 2 archive
US Seeks Rare-Earth Access Through Myanmar Peace Talks
ConfirmedShare on
In Short: The US State Department has unveiled a strategy document outlining its approach to peace talks in Myanmar, with a focus on securing rare-earth mineral access and increasing US influence in the region.
According to the document, the US embassy in Myanmar aims to secure at least three major commercial or investment deals valued above $5 million each for US companies.
The strategy also includes working toward a ceasefire that presents a pathway to a lasting peace agreement by 2030, as well as increasing US exports to reduce Washington’s trade deficit with Myanmar.
The document highlights the importance of multistakeholder forums that produce concrete agreements or policy proposals advancing fiscal federalism and territorial demarcation in Myanmar, which will create opportunities to access the country’s rare-earth resources.
US officials have quietly held talks with Myanmar’s nominally civilian government, which is run by a former general who led a 2021 coup, triggering a civil war that the United Nations estimates has killed 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million.
The strategy also prioritizes law enforcement cooperation to combat online scam centers that target Americans and expanded cooperation with authorities to repatriate Myanmar nationals from the United States.
Background
Vice President JD Vance has sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in an effort to restart stalled peace negotiations, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials.
US Vice President JD Vance has sent a letter to Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei to restart peace negotiations, at President Trump's direction.
What's confirmed
- A tiny piece of amber from Myanmar has captured a defensive maneuver that lizards still use today: shedding part of their tail to escape a predator.
- The specimen originates from a mine in the Hukawng valley, Kachin state, northern Myanmar.
What's still developing
- The Trump administration has removed several Myanmar nationals and companies from its sanctions list.
- The talks have included discussions of how to gain access to rare-earth minerals mainly located in conflict-affected areas and currently exported to China.
- General view of the amber piece from Myanmar, arrows highlighting the debris stuck to the initial resin flow at the level of the ventral surface of the tail.
- A tiny piece of amber from Myanmar has been holding onto something for 99 million years.