NEWS - Myanmar foreign minister to

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Subject: NEWS - Myanmar foreign minister to visit China Dec 21

Myanmar foreign minister to visit China Dec 21

  
BANGKOK, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Myanmar's Foreign Minister Win Aung is to
make a one-week visit to China from December 21, a diplomatic source
said on Sunday. 

The minister would go to southern Kunming, Shanghai and Beijing during
the visit, the source said without giving details. 

The ruling military government never announces travel dates of its
senior ministers in advance for security reasons. 

The foreign minister's trip comes at a time when Japan and its western
allies are said by analysts to be trying to make inroads into Myanmar to
balance neighbouring Chinese influence in the military-ruled country. 

Japanese premier Keizo Obuchi met Myanmar leader Senior General Than
Shwe on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting in Manila in mid-November. 

The meeting was followed up two weeks later by the visit to Yangon by
former Japanese premier Ryutaro Hashimoto, who is Obuchi's senior
foreign policy adviser. 

23:03 12-18-99