A select group of business leaders, who have been following the prime minister around Asia, are tagging along for the final day of his visit to Burma. The prime minister will meet President Thein Sein in the capital, Naypyidaw, followed by the highlight of his tour of Asia: a meeting in Rangoon with the Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), triumphed in the byelections.
The presence in Burma of around 10 members of the prime minister's business delegation – out of the 37 who flew into Japan with the prime minister on Monday – could be tricky, if not downright illegal.
A series of EU sanctions are still in place against Burma in protest against the military regime.
But Downing Street has devised a solution in the finest traditions of British diplomacy. The business people will be treated as tourists.
A No 10 source said: "It is not a trade mission. We are going to Burma for reasons of geography and the recent elections which led to a positive outcome. The government policy on Burma is to discourage trade. That remains the case. Around 10 members of the business delegation will come to Burma. They will have a cultural programme. They will be like tourists."
The presence of the business delegation is likely to prompt wry smiles in some EU capitals. Britain has taken the lead in demanding that a series of sanctions should remain in place despite calls from many EU members to lift them as a gesture towards Thein Sein, who is under fire from conservatives for allowing Aung San Suu Kyi's party to contest the elections. The NLD won 43 of the 45 seats that were contested.
Britain is likely to argue in Brussels later this month that sanctions should be eased as a reward for Thein Sein facing down the conservatives.
Downing Street is refusing to confirm officially that the prime minister is visiting Burma, but it is an open secret after the FT disclosed the visit following a briefing from government officials in Burma.
The delicate negotiations over the status of the business delegation took place as the prime minister landed in Jakarta on the second leg of his Asian tour. The prime minister has two aims during his two-day visit to Indonesia: to improve trading links and to use his presence in the world's largest Muslim country to reach out to the Muslim world.
Britain believes there are great trading opportunities for Britain in Indonesia, whose imports from Britain account for 0.07% of its total. The prime minister began his visit by presiding over a ceremony as Airbus signed a deal with Garuda airlines to buy 11 A330 planes worth £326m.
Cameron said: "I want to link Britain up to the fastest growing parts of the world, because we need to trade and export our way out of our economic difficulties. Well, Indonesia is one of those countries – one of the most populated countries in the world, one of the fastest growing countries in the world. It will be a top 10 economy and these are huge opportunities for British business and British investment, both in Indonesia and Indonesian investment back into Britain.
"I think we need to recognise that so much of the power in the world is going to be to the south and to the east and we need to rebuild those relationships. We've got a good standing here because we're one of the largest investors into Indonesia, but we could be doing far better in terms of our exports and our sales. That's why I've packed a plane full of business people to come here to make those links to create those jobs and investment back at home."
