The US has been holding secretive talks with a regime it accused of genocide

Detailed summary

The United States has been holding secretive talks with a regime it has accused of genocide, and experts believe it could come down to rare earths.

The United States has reopened direct talks with Myanmar, raising alarm among advocates and analysts.

It marks a reversal of efforts to isolate the military junta after it took power in a 2021 coup.

Analysts believe the US's desire to access Myanmar's rare earths could influence diplomacy.

As US President Donald Trump prepares to meet Asian leaders in the Philippines next week for the 49th ASEAN Summit, his administration is holding secretive talks with Myanmar's military-backed government, the same regime the US has accused of genocide.

Five years ago, Washington imposed sanctions on Myanmar's military leadership and downgraded diplomatic ties following a 2021 coup that ousted an elected government.

This year, however, senior Trump administration officials have travelled to Tokyo and Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw, for talks with coup leader-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing.

The goals of the diplomacy include countering China's influence in the region and potentially gaining access to Myanmar's "bountiful rare earth resources", according to a US State Department document.

But the outreach has raised concerns among human rights advocates that Washington's pursuit of strategic interests could help rehabilitate a military leadership accused of widespread atrocities.

"It's pretty shocking and almost illogical that the US would engage in secret talks with a sham president elected by a sham election," said Debbie Stothard, chair of the International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

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