According to Reuters, the US government is considering significant proposals, including direct cooperation with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), to secure rare earth minerals from Myanmar. These proposals are part of US efforts to reduce dependence on China for rare earth minerals and explore ways to access Myanmar’s mineral resources. The proposals come at a time when the US is seeking to diversify its rare earth mineral supply chain and establish new partnerships in the region.
The proposals contain two key elements: first, facilitating peace talks between Myanmar’s military council and the KIA, and second, establishing direct cooperation between the US government and the KIA. The US has maintained a policy of avoiding direct engagement with Myanmar’s military council since the 2021 coup. These proposals were submitted by a US business lobby group with connections to a former advisor to Aung San Suu Kyi, who reportedly has established channels of communication with both the KIA and other external experts in the field.
Implementation of these proposals faces significant challenges, particularly in terms of logistics and the complex situation regarding ethnic armed groups’ territorial control. The US would need to secure agreements with ethnic revolutionary forces that control the majority of rare earth deposits in Myanmar. Furthermore, any direct engagement with the military council would require a reassessment of current economic sanctions and other punitive measures, including those related to the Rohingya genocide and crimes against humanity. Recently, the US removed four Myanmar cronies and arms brokers from its sanctions list, indicating potential shifts in its approach. However, direct engagement with the military council would require the US to fundamentally alter its current stance on Myanmar’s human rights violations and its support for democratic forces in the country.
