Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to discuss the status of controversial dam project among other matters during her official visit to China this week.
While no specific details were given, a senior Burmese official said that Suu Kyi will likely tackle a solution for the suspended Myitsone dam project with Chinese officials, Reuters reported.
"If the Chinese leaders bring up a specific issue like the controversial Myitsone mega-dam project, of course, we'll explain to them what we've been doing," Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Aung Lynn told reporters. Suu Kyi is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang during the visit.
The $3.6 billion project, which was to be built on Myanmar's Irrawaddy River, was suspended by the country's previous government due to protests over its environmental impact.
Environmentalists argued that the project could potentially flood a large area as well significantly alter the flow of the river, which is considered as Myanmar's most important waterway. On the other hand, nationalist groups protested the stipulation that 90 percent of the power generated would be diverted to China.
Suu Kyi, a member of the opposition during the time, was among those who called for the suspension of the project.
Myanmar's current president Htin Kyaw has recently formed a commission to re-evaluate the Myitsone project, as well as other infrastructure projects. The commission is expected to release an assessment report on Nov. 11.
Suu Kyi has earlier proposed the construction of smaller hydroelectric projects that have less environmental effects as a replacement for the suspended project.
Meanwhile, the Burmese leader is also expected to seek the participation of China in the upcoming peace negotiations with armed ethnic groups, the New York Times reported. Ethnic conflicts have raged in northern Myanmar for several years now, with two armed groups, the Kachin Independence Army and the United Wa State Army, refusing to sign ceasefire agreements
Sou Kyi hopes that China acting as a mediator in the upcoming Panglong conference in the Burmese capital of Naypyidaw will convince the two groups, which are both composed of ethnic Chinese people, to finally lay down their arms.