WASHINGTON: Washington aims to use peace diplomacy in Myanmar as a way to expand US influence and potentially gain access to the country's rare-earth deposits, according to a recently published State Department strategy document.

Reuters reported last month that US officials have quietly held talks with Myanmar's nominally civilian government, run by the former general who led a 2021 coup, triggering a civil war that the United Nations estimates has killed 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million.

The re-engagement, involving the State Department’s top intelligence official Michael Vance, marks a departure from years of US policy aimed at isolating the military. The talks have included discussions of how to gain access to rare-earth minerals mainly located in conflict-affected areas and currently exported to China.