Myanmar’s rare earth pitch to US risks China’s wrath

Résumé détaillé

When Myanmar’s military-backed government urged Washington to invest in its rare earths, its leader Min Aung Hlaing was offering more than minerals. He was inviting the United…

When Myanmar’s military-backed government urged Washington to invest in its rare earths, its leader Min Aung Hlaing was offering more than minerals. He was inviting the United States into a business China dominates and a peace process Beijing has long sought to influence.

On November 9, Washington lobbying firm DCI Group, in an article published on behalf of Myanmar’s military-controlled information ministry, urged the United States to treat Myanmar as “a critical minerals priority, not simply a diplomatic challenge.”

The appeal followed quiet US meetings with regime officials in Naypyidaw and Tokyo reported exclusively by Reuters.

By any reading, Washington is providing Min Aung Hlaing the opening. A US State Department strategy published in October envisages lasting peace by 2030, with forums on federalism and territorial boundaries explicitly linked to access to rare earths. It also seeks three American commercial or investment deals worth more than US$5 million each.

But Myanmar’s generals cannot hand Washington mines they do not control. The Kachin Independence Army seized major mining areas around Chipwi and Pangwa from military-aligned forces in 2024.

Nearly all of Myanmar’s heavy rare earths are currently sent to China for processing, and Myanmar lacks the infrastructure and know-how to quickly build an independent supply chain. No agreement signed with the US can change that any time soon.

The coup leader-turned-president may believe he can play two powers against each other, loosening China’s grip and gaining legitimacy in the West. Instead, he is testing Beijing on two sensitive issues: who ultimately mediates Myanmar’s scattered civil wars, many fought along China’s borders, and who has access to its minerals.

In August 2024, Foreign Minister Wang Yi set out China’s three “bottom lines”: Myanmar should avoid civil strife, stay within ASEAN and resist outside interference.

Beijing also pressured the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), a Kokang…

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