Overview

• Trump notified Min Aung Hlaing of a 40% tariff on Myanmar exports starting August 1, down from a threatened 44%.
• The junta publicly released a multi-page response praising Trump’s leadership and calling the letter Washington’s first formal acknowledgment of its authority.
• Min Aung Hlaing endorsed Trump’s unfounded 2020 election fraud claims and thanked him for cutting funding to US-backed independent media outlets.
• The military leader urged a further tariff reduction to 10–20% and appealed for the lifting of broader US economic sanctions imposed after the 2021 coup.
• Isolated by Western governments, Myanmar’s junta continues to rely heavily on China and Russia for economic and military support.