The Myanmar military has hired lobbying companies to attempt to repair relations with the United States

A Washington lobbying firm has signed a one-year $3 million deal with Myanmar, aiming to help the country, which has long been ruled by the military, rebuild relations with the United States.

Reuters reported that according to the documents submitted under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) of the United States, the US DCI Group signed this agreement with the Ministry of Communications and Information of Myanmar on July 31. On the day of the signing, the Myanmar military lifted the national state of emergency that had lasted for more than four years, paving the way for the general election planned to be held at the end of this year.

The document states that the DCI Group will provide public affairs services for Myanmar, "aiming to rebuild the relationship between the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the United States, with a focus on trade, natural resources and humanitarian relief."

This document was signed by Justin Peterson, the executive partner of DCI, and another executive partner, Brian McCabe, on August 1st. When Trump first served as the president of the United States, Peterson had worked in his administration.

When asked whether the US sanctions against Myanmar would affect the agreement signed between Myanmar's Ministry of Communications and Information and the DCI Group, neither the US Treasury Department, the DCI Group, the US State Department nor the Myanmar Embassy in Washington responded immediately.

Reuters reported last year that the FBI has been investigating the DCI Group because it is suspected of being involved in a hacking and leak operation targeting hundreds of critical critics of its client ExxonMobil.

DCI Group said the accusation that it commissioned the hacking operation was false and instructed all employees and advisors to abide by the law.

The leadership of Myanmar is controlled by military leader Min Aung Hlaing, who staged a coup in 2021 to overthrow the elected government led by Aung SAN Suu Kyi. An Israeli-Canadian who was hired by the Myanmar military that year to act as a lobbyist in Washington and other national capitals said that the sanctions imposed by the United States on the leadership of the Myanmar military prevented him from receiving remuneration, so he has stopped working for the Myanmar military.

The establishment of the interim government in Myanmar did not change the current situation of the country. Min Aung hlaing, as the acting president, held all the power and continued to serve as the commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Defense Forces. Min Aung Hlaing, who has been isolated for many years, seems eager to engage with the Trump administration.

On July 7th, US President Trump sent a letter to Min Aung Hlaing, announcing that a 40% equivalent tariff would be imposed on goods exported from Myanmar to the United States. This letter indicates that the US government recognizes the military government as the legitimate ruler of Myanmar. On July 11, Min Aung Hlaing replied to Trump, asking the US to lower tariffs and saying that if necessary, he was willing to send a negotiation team to Washington.

According to Myanmar's official media reports, in the letter, Min Aung Hlaing "highly praised Trump for leading the country towards prosperity through strong leadership with the spirit of a patriot."

The US government announced two weeks later that it would lift sanctions against several Allies of the Myanmar military government. Human Rights Watch expressed shock at Washington's lifting of some sanctions against Myanmar, believing that this indicates a major shift in the US policy towards the Myanmar military.

On July 31, Trump signed an executive order, determining reciprocal tariff rates for multiple countries and regions. Among them, the tariff on Myanmar was reduced from 44% announced on April 2 to 40%.