Myanmar's leader received a warm welcome in meetings with top Chinese officials in what analysts said was an effort to shore up China's support before Myanmar's first major election in 20 years.
Although many details of Gen. Than Shwe's trip weren't disclosed, it included meetings Thursday with the head of China's legislature and Premier Wen Jiabao. He also is expected to visit the World Expo in Shanghai and the manufacturing center of Shenzhen.
Myanmar needs the backing of China and other Asian neighbors to boost the legitimacy of its Nov. 7 vote, which is expected to usher in a new civilian government but which human-rights and exile groups say is really aimed at entrenching the country's military regime, led by the aging junta chief.
Western leaders have stepped up their criticism of the vote in recent months. They say it is unlikely to be free and fair under Myanmar's strict military rule, and the main opposition party, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has vowed to boycott.
Last month, the Obama administration further intensified diplomatic pressure on the regime, saying it would back efforts to create an international commission to investigate alleged human-rights violations in Myanmar, including reports of torture, arbitrary arrests of political opponents, and other crimes.
Myanmar officials have repeatedly denied human-rights abuses and have said they will ensure the vote is fair.
The vote is the first since Myanmar leaders lost—and then subsequently ignored—a national election in 1990. Since then, Asian leaders have mostly expressed support for the regime, saying that it is better to encourage slow change in Myanmar rather than risk upsetting the regime and setting back any potential reforms to expand civil liberties and open its relatively closed economy.
But this year a few Asian countries, including the Philippines, have expressed criticism, leading some analysts to conclude that Asian leaders may be losing patience with the regime.
That hasn't been evident during Gen. Than Shwe's latest diplomatic mission, though. Wu Bangguo, the top legislator and No. 2 figure in the Communist Party hierarchy, affirmed China's support for Myanmar and said "it is China's set policy to solidify and strengthen friendly relations with Myanmar," according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Earlier, President Hu Jintao told Gen. Than Shwe that China's support "will remain unchanged regardless of changes of international situation," Xinhua said.
Those words of support followed a similar welcome for Gen. Than Shwe during a rare visit to India in July, when he held talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. During the visit, officials of the two countries signed agreements promoting technology and against arms smuggling. Human-rights groups criticized the trip at the time, saying Asian leaders should be more willing to air dissatisfaction with the regime.
Analysts say Myanmar may not always be able to count on China's unqualified support, however. Although China has made major investments in oil, gas, and other resources projects in Myanmar in recent years, many analysts believe China has also at times put pressure on Myanmar behind the scenes to back economic and social reforms.
China has also expressed displeasure over reports of possible instability along its border with Myanmar, which is also known as Burma. Myanmar's government has long waged low-grade wars with ethnic separatist groups in border areas, and it has vowed to intensify those efforts this year if the groups don't hand over weapons and fully support the election process. Many analysts say they believe China is counseling Gen. Than Shwe to back down from any steps that could lead to more violence around the election.
"China's No. 1 interest in Burma is stability," said Ian Storey, a fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. "They have all these investments there," he said, and "they're worried the way things are going in Burma, things could get risky."
Source:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703960004575481522563789264.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
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