The author says Myanmar will sit far down the Sept. 24 Trump–Xi agenda after tariffs, Taiwan, Iran, and AI, but three minutes could test a narrow overlap: scam compounds and other transnational crime that hit Americans (DOJ April charges, $700 million-plus crypto restrained; USCC: ≥$10 billion lost in 2024) and Chinese victims and border interests.

Proposed talking points: the U.S. does not want a Myanmar client state; it will not treat the fragmented resistance (NUG, CRPH, EROs, SCEF) as an anti-China tool; ask Beijing to stay neutral after its post–Operation 1027 tilt toward the junta, border pressure, and engineered elections—without China giving up trade, CMEC, or contacts with all sides.

Script offered: crime and regional security, not choosing a winner. Payoff claimed: law enforcement on scams without a new great-power front, and less risk to Chinese investments. A pitch for limited cooperation, not a claim either leader will take it.

The Trump-Xi summit on September 24 is expected to focus on stabilizing a relationship burdened by strategic mistrust following their high-stakes May summit, even as Washington and Beijing look for limited areas of practical cooperation. The two leaders have more immediate disputes to manage, from tariffs and Taiwan to Iran and artificial intelligence. Myanmar will arguably be far from the top of the agenda.

Yet Myanmar presents one narrow opportunity for practical cooperation—if Trump is willing to devote three minutes to it.

For Washington, the most immediate interest in Myanmar is regional security, particularly the rapidly expanding transnational crime networks operating from Myanmar and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

Intersection of American and Chinese interests

In April, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Scam Center Strike Force announced charges against two Chinese nationals accused of managing a cryptocurrency investment-fraud compound in Myanmar and the restraint of more than $700 million in cryptocurrency. The Treasury Department has separately sanctioned Myanmar armed groups with close ties to top military commanders and individuals linked to scam-center operations. The U.S.-China........

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