Upcoming visits from top dignitaries

Aung San Suu Kyi is a possible visitor to China this year.

National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi stressed at a meeting in Dec that her party will campaign to win the upcoming general election to guarantee genuine democracy as demanded by the people.

The NLD is expected to do well, although Suu Kyi is excluded from the presidency. The military-drafted constitution bars the position to anyone with a spouse or children holding foreign citizenship. Her late husband was British, as are her two sons.

Asked about reports that Suu Kyi would visit China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in Nov that she had no "definite" information about the trip.

"We have close contacts and communication with all parties and sides in Myanmar, including the National League for Democracy. The aim of this is to promote the all round development of bilateral ties," she added.

The NLD, established in Sept 1988, has a membership of 1.2 million.