Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping called for closer military ties with Burma at a ceremony to honor Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Burma’s Military . . . Xi also called on the West to lift sanctions on Burma . . . relations have been strained since Burmese President Thein Sein decided to cancel a controversial $3.6 billion dam project that was to be built by China this October . . . China is Burma’s second-largest trading partner and the largest foreign investor . . . China sees its access to Burma could be weakening and may be worried about Secretary Clinton’s visit to Burma this week . . . China would like to reaffirm its military and economic ties to Burma in order to maintain its access to the Indian Ocean and Rangoon’s natural resources, including oil reserves.