Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi left for a high-profile trip to China on Wednesday to discuss the fate of a jointly built dam and hydroelectric plant that Myanmar put on hold amid questions over which country will benefit from it.
According to officials, the five-day visit will tackle a new and delicate era in relations, including development aid and Myanmar’s upcoming complex peace process involving the government, the military and ethnic armed groups.
“The intention of the five-day visit is to build better relationship, and of course China will definitely talk about continuing the dam project but it won’t be our priority of the visit,” said Aye Aye Soe, the deputy director of Myanmar Foreign Affairs’ Political Department.
It is Ms. Suu Kyi’s first visit to Beijing since her party took office in March.
The former military-backed government of President Thein Sein suspended work on the Myitsone Dam in northern Myanmar in 2012, because 90 per cent of electricity would benefit China.
Environmental concerns and the project’s impact on local communities also fed public anger over the construction of the dam.
