YANGON: Myanmar's foreign minister Aung San Suu Kyi met her Chinese counterpart Tuesday in the first diplomatic foray of her new pro-democracy government, underscoring the importance of relations with Beijing.
The nation sees its giant neighbour -- and largest trading partner -- as its biggest foreign policy preoccupation, with border wars and controversial China-backed mega-projects topping the agenda.
The new civilian administration, sworn in on March 30, faces a host of economic challenges as it inherits the government of the impoverished nation from the military.
It also faces tensions with the military which ruled for almost half a century.
Suu Kyi, for decades the standard-bearer of the democracy movement and now foreign minister, invited China's Wang Yi for talks in the capital Naypyidaw.
At a press conference afterwards she described relations as "very important politically as well as socially and economically".
Wang said his government was eager to "build more confidence" between the nations and vowed that China would support Myanmar's process of national reconciliation.
"China is a good neighbour to Myanmar. We want to improve the relationship between the two countries," he said through an interpreter.
Beijing was once instrumental in shielding Myanmar's former junta from the full force of international opprobrium while Suu Kyi languished for years under house arrest.
Chinese firms enjoyed a host of juicy business deals with Myanmar's generals and their cronies that were often seen as exploiting the nation's rich natural resources.
But the comfortable relationship was thrown into upheaval under the last quasi-civilian government of Thein Sein.
In 2011 he shocked the international community by suspending the multi-billion dollar China-backed Myitsone hydropower project in war-torn Kachin state.
Fighting in the border region of Kokang last year between the Myanmar army and local rebels with links to China also strained relations.
Analysts say both nations want to rebalance the relationship after Myanmar's historic November elections that saw millions of voters take to the polls to end the military's domination.
"The new government recognises China's importance but will also be keen to recalibrate aspects of the two countries' relations," said Nyantha Maw Lin, of advisory firm Vriens and Partners.
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