U.S.-based Myanmar pro-democracy activists told DVB that they have sent letters to the U.S. State Department and Congress objecting to President Donald Trump’s correspondence with Myanmar’s regime leader Min Aung Hlaing.
“We raised concerns that the U.S. President [Donald Trump] is engaging with a sanctioned figure [Min Aung Hlaing],” Ko Yin Aye, a member of Save Myanmar USA, told DVB.
Since the 2021 military coup, the Myanmar diaspora in the U.S. has organized anti-coup protests and have made diplomatic appeals to countries with embassies based in Washington to stop its dealings with the regime, which seized power after the coup, in Naypyidaw.
They’ve repeatedly staged anti-China protests outside of the Chinese embassy to call on Beijing to stop interfering in Myanmar’s internal affairs by supporting the regime in Naypyidaw.
On July 7, President Trump issued a formal tariff notification to 14 countries, including Myanmar. It announced a new import tariff rate of 40 percent on Myanmar goods into the U.S., effective Aug. 1.
In response, Min Aung Hlaing sent a letter dated July 10, requesting the U.S. reduce the tariff rate from 10 to 20 percent, citing economic hardship and natural disasters, including the devastating March 28 earthquake.
In the letter, the regime leader also thanked the U.S President for “regulating broadcasting agencies and funds.”
Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA), both known for their independent news coverage of Myanmar’s uprising to the 2021 coup, have now paused operations following U.S. funding cuts.
Min Aung Hlaing also expressed willingness to send a high-level delegation to Washington, DC, to negotiate the U.S. tariffs with the Trump administration.
“The regime is using this [letter sent by the U.S. President] as a propaganda tool to gain legitimacy,” James Shwe, a member of the advocacy groups Free Myanmar and the Los Angeles Myanmar Movement, told DVB.
Since the 2021 coup, Myanmar’s military regime has faced international condemnation and diplomatic isolation, though it retained support from a few key allies such as China and Russia.
The U.S., the U.K., and the E.U. have all imposed sanctions and have cut formal diplomatic ties with Myanmar.
The regional bloc, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), remains divided with some members pushing to isolate the regime, while others are engaged with Naypyidaw.
The trade volume between Myanmar and the U.S. amounted to around $588.3 million USD in the 2024-25 financial year, according to the regime.
Following the coup, the U.S. suspended its involvement in the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) on March 29, 2021, which was signed with Myanmar in 2013.
