According to a report by Japan’s Kyodo News, informed sources from the Japanese government said on the 24th that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to visit Myanmar and hold his first meeting with Myanmar President U Thein Sein. The visit is tentatively set for the 25th and 26th of May. Currently the details are being coordinated. (more…)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to visit Myanmar in late May for talks with President Thein Sein with the aim of accelerating Japanese efforts to promote economic development and democratization there, an official said.
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On April 22, Ambassador Yang Houlan met with the chair of Myanmar National League for Democracy Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon, and exchanged views on the prospects for reform, development of Myanmar, and on how to strengthen bilateral exchanges and cooperation. (more…)

Two Arakanese leaders from the Rakhine National Development Party (RNDP) left for China on Saturday at an invitation made by the Chinese communist party.
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Speaking to Mizzima on behalf of state-run China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the Secretary to the Chinese Ambassador in Yangon, Xiong Guofeng, said that the company did not force workers at its pipeline plant on Maday Island to sign a pledge saying they would not participate in Thursday’s demonstration, and furthermore that they did not dismiss more than 50 workers who refused to do so.
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According to the Xinhua News Agency, the first group of 11 Myanmar athletes and coaches has headed for China on the 17th for targeted training.  The trip was arranged in accordance with the Chinese sports aid program for Myanmar and in preparation for the 27th Southeast Asian Games.
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The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) announced this week that organized crime in the Asia-Pacific region is a US$90 billion a year business—twice the GDP of Myanmar. (more…)

A ceremony to mark the opening of an office from which to control joint anti-drugs operations on the Mekong River was held at Xishuangbanna on Friday, Chinese state media reported.
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The Bay of Bengal is the scene of a new battle between Burma and Bangladesh as the neighbors compete to attract international oil companies to invest in their hopefully resource-rich sections of the sea.
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As beyondbrics reported yesterday, Myanmar’s new trasparency zeal could be a nightmare for China, given the close relationship between the two nations on various projects.
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Visiting Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi gave an academic speech at a university in the ancient Japanese city of Kyoto on Monday, advocating the beginning of change in her country based on the Buddhist idea of ” caring” for others.
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It’s hardly a move to please China. Myanmar, up to recently a loyal neighbour with seemingly endless willingness to open up its abundant natural resources to Chinese companies, is preparing to sign the awkwardly-named Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. (more…)

The long-deferred aspirations for a larger role in Myanmar are getting a boost this coming week with a visit by Nobel Peace Prize laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
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U Aung Kyaw Zaw, a son of the late Thirty Comrades Gen Kyaw Zaw and regarded as an authority on Sino-Burmese affairs, said yesterday China’s participation in Burma’s peace process should be welcomed.
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Members of Myanmar’s minority Rohingya community said Thursday they have been barred from a gathering to welcome democracy hero Aung San Suu Kyi when she visits Japan.
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged support for establishing peace in Myanmar during a meeting with representatives of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) in Japan last week.
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An alliance of armed ethnic minority groups from Burma has met with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss humanitarian assistance in ethnic regions of their country.
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The postponement of ceasefire talks between the Burmese government and Kachin rebels on Friday has led to complaints from Kachin civil society groups, which claim that the talks were cancelled because China had objected to the presence of Western observers.
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(Unofficial translation)

Chinese president XI Jinping held talked with Myanmar president U Thein Sein in Sanya, Hainan province on April 5th. The two heads of state exchanged opinions in depth on the development of Sino-Myanmar relations and both agreed to continue to reinforce and strengthen bilateral relations and jointly push for the continued healthy, stable development of the Sino-Myanmar comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. (more…)

(Unofficial translation)

The series of economic reforms adopted since the inauguration of the new Myanmar government have entered their third year. As relations between the West and Myanmar continue to improve, western companies have begun to enter the country. Some worry that Chinese companies, which had engaged in ample cooperation with Myanmar, might be adversely affected. Despite all the questions and concerns, however, observers are still fully confident about the prospect for Sino-Myanmar economic cooperation and Chinese companies’ investment in Myanmar. (more…)