Suu Kyi’s visit to China ahead of India a balancing Act

TIL Desk/World/Beijing-Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit to China ahead of India shows her wish to strike a “balance” among major powers and called on the Communist nation to broad base ties with Myanmar, not relying on military alone.

Referring to Japanese media reports that India’s position in Myanmar’s diplomacy will outweigh China, an article in the state-run said Suu Kyi’s visit to China last week “shows that China seems to be more significant than India in Myanmar’s diplomacy”. “Yet in June, (State Counsellor and Foreign Minister) Suu Kyi expressed her wish to visit India during her meeting with V K Singh, India Minister of State for External Affairs,” it said.

“Suu Kyi has chosen China for her first overseas trip outside ASEAN probably not because she is emotionally close to Beijing, but out of Myanmar’s domestic politics and national interests. She will lead the country to seek a balance among major powers,” the article co-inciding with the just-concluded visit of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to Myanmar said.