Trump Administration Opens Myanmar Junta Talks as REEx's No. 1 Heavy Rare Earth Producer Faces War and Environmental Devastation

Highlights

• The Trump administration has opened direct talks with Myanmar's military junta, seeking rare earth access and cybercrime cooperation despite documented civilian atrocities.
• REEx ranks Myanmar rebels No. 1 globally in heavy rare earth assets, as the Kachin Independence Army controls key mining belts—not the junta Washington is courting.
• China dominates downstream processing of Myanmar's rare earth output, while Russia supplies the junta with military equipment, complicating any U.S. mineral strategy.
• Over 100,000 people have been killed since the 2021 coup, with 71% of civilian deaths attributed to junta forces, raising serious moral and strategic risks for U.S. engagement.
• REEx calls for civilian protection, ethnic community participation, environmental safeguards, and transparent revenues as prerequisites for any credible minerals deal.