Economy tipped to dominate Suu Kyi’s first visit to China
The troubled Chinese-backed Myitsone dam project is also expected to be a key talking point when Myanmar’s foreign minister visits Beijing next week
Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to promote economic ties when she makes her first visit to China next week as Myanmar’s foreign minister.
Myanmese authorities said Suu Kyi would arrive in Beijing on Wednesday for a four-day trip, her first outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The visit comes about a month ahead of her trip to the United States, and observers say economic cooperation will be top of the agenda in her talks with Chinese leaders.
Myanmar’s government released a long-awaited but vague economic policy paper last month, pledging support for agriculture, industry and infrastructure development. But there were few details on how it will boost the nation’s economy.
Despite Myanmar dam blockage, China confident about ties with Suu Kyi government
Zhang Xuegang, a Southeast Asian affairs specialist at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said Suu Kyi’s main goal was to solicit more financial support from China and improve economic cooperation between two countries.
China, as an economic powerhouse in the region and Myanmar’s biggest foreign investor, has much at stake in the country. But some Chinese-backed projects have run into roadblocks and Myanmar is also more open to investment from other nations such as Japan.