This is in the Weltanschauungskrieg section because it offers the rare opportunity to watch a series of tribal conflicts evolve into a complex game involving melting pot powers.
In recent history, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and many other areas have been attacked by melting pot 'authorities' concerned about challenges from tribal groups to the melting pot weltanschauung or 'worldview'.
These conflicts always occur under some sort of ruse involving 'democracy' or 'freedom' or something similar. Of course 'liberty' is a function of economics. A melting pot that has more money can provide more 'bread and circuses' which pacify a population and allow an illusion of greater liberties. Hungry people fight violently. Satiated people are docile.
Burma is the third largest source of rare earths in the world, after China and the U.S.
"Little information is available about the country’s rare earth mineral deposits and mining projects, but the nation does have a close relationship with China — in 2020, Myanmar provided 50 percent of China’s medium to heavy rare earths feedstock." https://investingnews.com/daily/resource-investing/critical-metals-investing/rare-earth-investing/rare-earth-metal-production/
~
As of late April 2021 the appearance presented to Western outsiders is that a diverse group of people are rebelling against the coup in favor of 'liberty' in the form of a local melting pot. In other words most Westerners believe the ideal solution would probably be a local 'blob' of tribal interests assembled under the Western 'blob model' of a parliament, for example.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/29/two-myanmar-air-bases-come-under-attack
Keep in mind that it is China this time that has the most overt and local stake in the conflict.
As with all such conflicts, though, it is not actually 'melting pot 1 vs melting pot 2' or 'China vs the U.S.' etc, it is part of a larger conflict of tribal vs melting pot, and melting pot entities like China and the U.S. are on the same side even if they appear rivals. The choreography of the conflict will carefully cultivate an image of 'two or more homogenous countries involved in a third region' and each of the melting pots will be presented with local explanations of why 'we are right and the other is wrong', but it's all nonsense ultimately.
The conflict is actually between several small powerless tribal entities and the global melting pot. The small tribal entities are fed light weapons, 19th and 20th century small arms, to give the appearance that they have independence and power prior to their elimination as sovereign groups.
~
In 1885 Britain took control of Burma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Burmese_Wars
~
Corporations look like they are preparing to distinguish between Chinese sourced rare earths e.g. Burma, and 'Western' rare earths which will be mainly through Australia, but also Canada and the U.S..
USA Rare Earth Partners with Source Certain International (globenewswire.com)
~
Interesting that the rare earth element Europium, symbol EU, has been listed as having a value of zero, on the main site where westerners can check rare earth prices, from late March 2021 to July 2021, just as rare earths heat up.
https://www.kitco.com/strategic-metals/
In Progress
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-politics-china-metals-explain-idUSKBN2AA12U
https://www.statista.com/statistics/277268/rare-earth-reserves-by-country/ does not list Burma, probably included in China data.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmar
https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2020/mcs2020-rare-earths.pdf
The description for this U.S. government produced page is "This map shows countries with significant supplies of rare earth elements, and existing mines, deposits, and occurrences of rare earth elements." But the map has been blacked out https://www.energy.gov/maps/estimated-rare-earth-reserves-and-deposits
In this day no ethnic group has a valid claim to control another. Instead pretexts are created by 'the greater melting pot' i.e., the corporate chiefs who perpetuate conflicts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bofors_scandal