For most world leaders, tariff letters from US President Donald Trump mean a big headache. But one Southeast Asian general is spinning the communique he was sent as welcome recognition of the embattled, isolated and reviled junta he leads.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, head of the military that seized power in Myanmar in 2021 after ousting a democratically elected government, said it was he who had the “honor” of receiving Trump’s letter sent on Monday announcing new tariffs, state media Global New Light of Myanmar reported on Friday.

The letter, which stated the United States would be imposing a new tariff rate of 40 percent on Myanmar’s exports to the US starting August 1, was received with “sincere appreciation,” the newspaper said.

The United States and most Western countries have not recognized the junta as the legitimate government of Myanmar, also known as Burma.

The military’s power grab sparked a catastrophic civil war now in its fifth year, with pro-democracy fighters and ethnic rebel groups battling the military across swaths of the country. The United Nations and other rights groups have accused the military of war crimes as it battles to cling to power.