Suu Kyi to visit China

The "goodwill" visit will last about a week, Win Htein, a senior member of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, told Reuters. No further details were available.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing in Beijing that she had no "definite" information about a Suu Kyi visit.

"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.

There was a rumour late 2013 that she would visit the country. Though, China was not among the long list of countries she visited in the year.

Since taking power in March 2011, Myanmar's reformist government has sought to decrease its dependence on China, which was cemented during years of Western sanctions put in place in response to human rights abuses carried out by the ruling junta.

China is now the biggest foreign investor in the country. From aggregate foreign investment worth nearly US$50 billion at the end of September, the value of $14 billion belonged to Chinese enterprises.

Amid some conflicts, Myanmar and China have shown positive gestures towards cooperation in some areas, which now range from the fight against human trafficking to environment conservation. During July 1618, Myanmar police are attending a summit in China to discuss how to stop the increase in human trafficking of women and children, with most cases involving Myanmar women being sold as brides in China. 

Suu Kyi’s NLD is expected to do well in next year's general elections, 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.

Suu Kyi led the NLD to a sweeping victory in general elections in 1990, but the military government refused to recognize the results.

She became an international icon after winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her pro-democracy efforts and spent most of the next two decades under house arrest where she continued to resist Myanmar's military rulers.

She was freed five months before the current semi-civilian government took power after 49 years of military rule. Her release heralded the launch of widespread reforms by the government led by Thein Sein, a former general, including the release of hundreds more political prisoners and the lifting of restrictions on media and political parties.