Still no sign of trade talks between Myanmar junta, Trump administration

Two senior regime officials pegged to lead trade talks with the administration of US President Donald Trump have both denied being assigned to the role. Dr. Zaw Oo, an economist recently appointed to the junta-controlled Central Bank of Myanmar’s board of directors, and Min Min, the regime’s deputy minister for commerce, told Myanmar Now they weren’t aware of any plans to form a trade delegation. “I haven’t been assigned any responsibility” related to trade negotiations, said Zaw Oo, who is also director of the Myanmar Narrative Think Tank, which advises the junta on economic policy. He also noted that such talks would need to begin before August 1, the deadline for the start of tariffs set by Trump in a letter sent to junta chief Min Aung Hlaing on July 7. In that letter—which the Myanmar dictator greeted as a sign of recognition of his regime—Trump warned that exports from the country would face a tariff rate of 40 percent unless a trade deal could be reached. Thirteen other countries, including Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, received similar letters on the same day. In response, Min Aung Hlaing released a statement two days later praising Trump and proposing a tariff rate of 10-20 percent on Myanmar goods going to the United States, and 0-10 percent on US exports to Myanmar. “If needed, a high-level negotiation team will be despatched as quickly as possible to the US to discuss with the relevant authorities,” he added. Dr. Zaw Oo, a member of the Central Bank of Myanmar’s board of directors However, Min Min, the regime’s deputy commerce minister, has also confirmed that no concrete steps have been taken to send a delegation to Washington for talks with US officials. “I haven’t received any instructions yet. Nothing has been said about going officially. I’m not sure yet about [the negotiation plan],” he told Myanmar Now on Monday. Meanwhile, other countries in the region, including some that compete with Myanmar in low-wage industries such as garment manufacturing, have already made progress in working out deals with the US, which is the world’s leading market for such products. “Their negotiations are quite advanced,” said Zaw Oo, who described Myanmar’s failure to keep pace with its competitors as “a worrying situation for us.” Bilateral trade between Myanmar and America is valued at around US$600-700 million annually, most of it in exports of garments and agricultural products to the US. In his statement, Min Aung Hlaing pointed out that Myanmar has been hit by a series of major setbacks in recent years, including the lingering impact of the Covid-19 pandemic five years ago and a devastating earthquake that struck near Mandalay on March 28. He also mentioned “significant challenges” that his regime has faced since seizing power more than four years ago, in apparent reference to the armed resistance movement that his takeover has unleashed across much of the country.

Still no sign of trade talks between Myanmar junta, Trump administration

Two potential trade negotiators for the regime have both denied being assigned to hold talks

Subscribe for full access

On the road to Namtu

‘Can We Go Home?’: Civilians trapped in Bhamo fighting

Beyond Beijing’s reach, a new resistance alliance takes shape in Myanmar

Between resistance and the ballot box: Assessing the second phase of Myanmar’s junta-controlled elections

Junta airstrikes cause casualties across four states, regions over two days

Wa troops join Myanmar military in raid on northern Shan State scam centre

Novice monk among five killed in junta airstrike on Sagaing Region monastery

Junta airstrike hits monastery shelter in Sagaing, killing father and son

‘New levels of depravity’: Myanmar’s crisis worsens five years after coup, Human Rights Watch warns

KIA set to fully resume rare earth mining in captured ‘special region’

Myanmar junta airstrikes kill three civilians sheltering in Rakhine State monastery

Myanmar’s factories cling to life as power shortages persist

Bought Out or Seized: Mandalay farmers face impossible choices amid land grab

Myanmar junta partners with Chinese firm to build natural gas terminal despite Rakhine State conflict

Thai officials call on Myanmar regime to crack down on fraud, trafficking gangs on Thai-Karen State border

Myanmar military continues to lose ground to anti-junta forces in northern Shan State

Despite escalating violence, Myanmar junta leader says elections will proceed

NUG-founded bank set to sell shares to meet ‘emergency needs’

Myanmar’s junta bears ‘sole responsibility’ for Suu Kyi’s health—NLD

Karenni youth fight for freedom at the cost of their lives and limbs

The mothers of the Magway resistance

A Myanmar artist finds freedom behind bars—by portraying prisoners’ oppression

As Myanmar’s revolution beckons, a new breed of activist photographers heeds the call

The man behind the Myanmar junta’s campaign of terror in Sagaing

Authorities tighten restrictions on passport process for Myanmar nationals in Thailand

Subscribe for full access

Related Articles