Suu Kyi visit to boost China-Myanmar ties

Aung San Suu Kyi, the chairperson of Myanmar's National League for Democracy, is visiting China as the head of a delegation from Myanmar from June 10 to 14 at the invitation of the Communist Party of China. As the NLD spokesman said, on her first visit to China, Suu Kyi is scheduled to meet top Chinese leaders Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang.

The NLD leader's visit comes just months before the general election in Myanmar, which is undergoing a rapid democratic transition in which the parliament, opposition parties and Myanmar people are expected to play a greater role in their country's relationship with China in the backdrop of more than a dozen cooperation deals signed by the two countries last year.

For many in Myanmar, the lack of enough people-to-people and party-to-party exchanges between China and Myanmar and some Western media outlets' biased reports against China have created many misunderstandings. To further strengthen China-Myanmar ties, therefore, both governments should encourage more non-governmental players to participate in bilateral communications.