The United States and China next week will discuss developments in Myanmar, following Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to the ally of Beijing, a U.S. official said Tuesday. Derek Mitchell, the U.S. special envoy for Myanmar, will visit Beijing on December 12 and 13 after holding meetings this week in Japan and South Korea, the official told reporters. Last week, Hillary Clinton became the top U.S. official in more than 50 years to visit Myanmar, seeking to encourage reforms by the military-backed government, which has opened talks with the opposition and ethnic minorities. Mitchell will hold talks in South Korea on Thursday and travel to Japan the following day, the U.S. official said. The two countries have maintained economic ties with Myanmar in a rare policy divergence with the United States.
