Aung San Suu Kyi’s first trip to Beijing is not quite a historic piece of Nixon-to-China diplomacy. But it is a fresh sign of the former political prisoner’s pragmatic preparations for power — and a symbol of the interests she shares with the Middle Kingdom’s rulers at a rocky point in Sino-Myanmar relations.

Analysts say the visit, which begins later on Wednesday, is an effort by the two parties to show they can do business together ahead of likely big gains this year for Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) in landmark Myanmar elections billed as cementing the country’s transition from military dictatorship.

China is a big investor in Myanmar and prizes the access it offers to the Indian Ocean, but tensions have emerged in areas ranging from the suspension of a large Beijing-backed dam project to conflict spillover at the countries’ shared border.