Myanmar’s Rare Earths Aren’t the Junta’s to Give — SkimNews
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- Michael Vance, assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research, opened direct talks with Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw in mid-September, marking the highest-level U.S. contact with Myanmar’s government since the 2021 coup.
- Adam Castillo, the former head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar, has been released, fulfilling the first of three stated U.S. objectives for reengagement.
- Border Guard Forces protect scam compounds near the Thai border and receive kickbacks from the syndicates; NUG foreign minister Zin Mar Aung said the regime “cannot fully guarantee” ending the practices.
- Min Aung Hlaing controls only about 21% of Myanmar, with resistance forces holding 42% and the rest contested; his January 2026 election was held only in junta-held territory, and Washington stayed silent as Western governments dismissed it as a sham.
- Kachin Independence Army seized the heart of one of the world’s most valuable heavy-rare-earth concentrations in late 2024 and taxes trade with China to fund its fight.
- United Wa State Army has remained neutral in the civil war, but Chinese companies are mining rare earths in territory it controls without Naypyidaw’s approval.
- USAID cuts after the Trump administration dismantled the agency in 2025 had a “huge impact,” Paung said; medical supplies were short and at least two Karenni hospitals would close by year’s end, while the UN reports more than 3.7 million displaced people and ACLED 100,114 conflict-related deaths.
Why it matters: Washington’s rare-earth strategy is mismatched with the territory it is courting: Min Aung Hlaing controls about 21% of Myanmar, while resistance forces hold 42% and minority groups hold most deposits. Engaging the junta carries concrete costs—U.S. credibility on democracy and human rights, plus strain in Washington’s ties with resistance groups.
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