Aung San Suu Kyi in Beijing: the Symbol of a Mature Sino-Burma Relationship

Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Beijing on June 10th, marking the start of a groundbreaking visit to China which was expected to offer anoth­er communication channel between China and its neighboring country. During Presi­dent Xi called on Suu Kyi and her party to help foster a better understanding of China within Myanmar, and also work with China towards cooperation in a fair and reasonable manner.

Yes, China and Myanmar are close and friendly neighbors. This visit suggests that the bilateral relationship can surpass Myan­mar’s complicated domestic situation.

China sees its friendship with Myanmar as one that is capable of transcending their ideological differences. Similarly, China shall establish its long-term foreign poli­cy towards Myanmar on the principle of friendship. Myanmar has also responded positively to China.

During Myanmar’s democratic reform of 2010, foreign press, such as The New York Times, portrayed the Sino-Myanmar rela­tionship in a bad light. The New York Times claimed that tensions emerged as a result of the suspension of a large Beijing-backed dam project, as well as when Myanmar’s domestic conflict spilled over the countries’ shared border and into China. But the re­ports did not provide much evidence.

However, the fact that China is Myan­mar’s largest neighbor will never change. And China is irreplaceable in Myanmar’s future development. The issue of whether Myanmar and China can develop a healthy and enduring relationship will largely depend on Myanmar’s own national interest.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s first trip to Beijing may not be as historic as the Nixon-to-China episode. But it presents a promising sign of the former political prisoner’s pragmatic preparations for her rise to power – and a symbol of the interests she shares with Chinese leaders at a rocky point in Sino-Myanmar relations.

China is a big investor in Myanmar and prizes the access it offers to the Indian Ocean. Their bilateral relationship will not be affected in the long run. China and Myanmar are working to­gether to build a better neighboring situation.

Ms Suu Kyi’s long-flagged visit comes months before Myanmar’s national elections, the first since the military dictatorship stepped down after it had been in power for of almost half a century. Instead, a quasi-civilian government was established in 2011. Suu Kyi is expected to play a key role in the presidential elections this November. And she is also a valuable represen­tative of Myanmar given her high-level visit to China.