A mothballed hydroelectric dam project funded by China is expected to dominate Thursday’s talks between de-facto Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing.
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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Myanmar in April, a few days after the new NLD-led government came to power.
Beijing has been pressing for the resumption of the Chinese-backed project ever since.
India and Myanmar share close relations with a robust development cooperation programme in areas such as agriculture, IT, human resource development, infrastructure development, culture, etc.
China’s foreign ministry last month voiced support for the peace process, saying a “politically stable and economically prosperous Myanmar is in China’s best interests”.
Suu Kyi’s visit came roughly a week after Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw chose to review the Myitsone Dam project.
Though Myanmar’s domestic political landscape, and the bilateral relationship between the two nations, is much changed since the controversial Myitsone project was suspended in 2011, environmentalists have remained steadfast in opposition to it.
While the mineral-rich country has relied on Beijing for economic and diplomatic support during decades of Western sanctions under military rule, the warm ties have taken a hit since the previous government began democratic reforms in 2010 and appeared to have leaned away from China towards the West. At the time, Suu Kyi also called for the project’s suspension.
China and Myanmar agreed to find a solution for the stalled Dollars 3.6 billion hydroelectric dam as Beijing rolled out the red carpet for Myanmar’s iconic leader Aung San Suu Kyi giving her a head of the government welcome reserved for Prime Ministers of foreign countries.
“Presently, China is promoting the Belt and Road Initiative and is further opening up to the outside world”.
“This is the outcome that we hope to see the most”, he said. The Irrawaddy noted that Myanmar’s “main and immediate concern is how to make use of Chinese influence on the ethnic armed organisations along the Sino-Burma border”.
If Suu Kyi is to succeed in charming both China and her own people, she will have to find a way to allow the project to go ahead under different circumstances.
With the Union Peace Conference, or 21 Century Panglong, slated for the 31 August she is also expected to raise the issue of Myanmar’s armed ethnic groups operating on the Sino-Myanmar border.
Following Thursday’s talks, the two governments are reported to have signed an agreement on bilateral economic and technological cooperation and an exchange of feasibility research notes for the Kunlong Bridge in Myanmar. The two leaders witnessed the signing ceremony.
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Both Li and Suu Kyi inspected the guard of honour before settling for talks.
