The United States opened direct talks with Myanmar's military-backed government , focusing on enforcement operations to combat scam centers and on discussing access to rare earths, Reuters reported on Oct. 8. The report newly revealed that Michael Vance, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research, participated in Sept. 15-16 talks with President Min Aung Hlaing, marking the highest level of U.S. diplomatic engagement with Myanmar since that country's 2021 military coup.