YANGON—Myanmar military chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing is currently in Beijing on a goodwill visit at the invitation of China’s Central Military Commission and Chief of Joint Staff Gen. Li Zuocheng to hold talks with leaders of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and tour training schools, factories and other significant places.
The tour came two weeks ahead of Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit to the country’s northern neighbor to attend the second Belt and Road forum, which is scheduled to start on April 26. During the meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the State Counselor will likely discuss controversial Chinese projects in Myanmar, including the Myitsone dam and a suspended hydropower project in Kachin State.
During a meeting with religious leaders in Kachin State in February, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing said a final decision on the Myitsone dam would depend on the public’s wishes and on Parliament.
This is Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing’s fifth visit to China since becoming the commander-in-chief of Myanmar’s military in 2011.
The military delegation, including Lt-Gen Than Tun Oo, Lt-Gen Soe Htut and senior military officers from the army’s Office of the Commander-in-Chief, first left for Kunming on Monday, and has already had a meeting with Yunnan Province Communist Party Secretary Mr. Chen Hao. In the afternoon, the delegation was welcomed to Beijing by officials from the Office for International Military Cooperation of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.