Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi embarks on tricky China visit

Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Pic: AP.

By Asian Correspondent Staff Jun 10, 2015

Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is traveling to China this week for her first visit to the Asian powerhouse. The four-day visit, starting Wednesday, comes at a pivotal time as Beijing attempts to bolster its influence in the Southeast Asian nation.

Democratic reforms in Burma (Myanmar) have seen the quasi-military government in Naypyidaw shift toward Western countries, Japan and other potential investors, Burmese protesters have stalled a Chinese-backed dam out of environmental concerns, and China is upset about fighting between Burma’s military and rebels near the border.

Suu Kyi will meet China’s President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang during the visit, Burma’s National League for Democracy (NLD) said. Reports suggest there was strong opposition to the visit within Chinese political circles, but the trip, framed as a party-to party exchange between China’s Communist Party and the NLD, was ultimately approved.

The NLD is forecast to perform strongly when Burma goes to the polls in national elections later this year, though Suu Kyi herself is unlikely to be able to stand for president. Domestically, she is fighting to have a clause in the constitution that blocks her from standing as a candidate overturned and her chances of success look slim.

Even so, China’s invitation can be seen as an acknowledgement from Beijing that she is now a key political figure in the Southeast Asian nation and is likely to wield major influence there in the years to come. Even just a few years ago, the idea of China allying itself with the Nobel Laureate and ‘democracy icon’ would have been unimaginable.

The visit could be a tricky one for both Suu Kyi and China. For her part, Suu Kyi will be under pressure to tackle Beijing on human rights issues and its detention of fellow Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo. Her ongoing silence on the plight of Rohingya Muslims in Burma has been roundly criticised, and observers will be watching closely to see if she lives up to her ‘democracy icon’ billing on this occasion.

Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo. Pic: AP.

The Chinese media, meanwhile, was pointing to a softening in Suu Kyi’s stance towards Beijing ahead of the visit, with an editorial in the state-run Global Times stating:

“Suu Kyi used to be the most intense critic of the Myanmese junta, and she also raised objections to Chinese investment projects during that time. But since she was elected as a member of the House of Representatives, Suu Kyi has started to recalibrate her policy, stating on many occasions that she expects an improvement in Myanmar-China relations. In media interviews, Suu Kyi also expressed her expectation for a visit to China in an official capacity.”

It added: “Given Suu Kyi’s pragmatic and friendly attitude toward China, her overwhelming influence among the Myanmese and her significant power in the future landscape of the Myanmese politics, China treats her visit as a chance to lay out its diplomatic strategies, a forward-looking move to deal with the result of the upcoming Myanmese election.”

The events of the next four days should tell us a lot about future relations between the two neighbors, and Suu Kyi’s vision for a rapidly changing Burma.

Additional reporting from Associated Press