Chinese territory was bombed over the weekend by Myanmar's air force in an "accidental strike" that resulted in no deaths or injuries but damaged a Chinese civilian residence, which was believed to have been a safe haven for Kokang rebels.
A resident of Nansan, however, reportedly told Radio Free Asia that bombs had fallen on three occasions and caused forest fires, intensified fighting along the border killing "quite a lot of people."
Chinese foreign minister Hong Lei confirmed this week that fighting between ethnically Han-Chinese Kokang rebels and government forces in Myanmar's northeastern Shan State has indeed spilled over into Yunnan Province since the conflict has intensified in recent months.
Fighting in Shan State has displaced tens of thousands of people, most of whom have fled over to China. Joining these refugees in the flight into Yunnan have been legions of illegal Chinese loggers who stole across the border to exploit Myanmar's natural resources. Many of these illegal loggers have also been arrested by Myanmar authorities.
Myanmar has enjoyed a very close diplomatic relationship with China since 1988, when the country violently suppressed pro-democracy protests, killing as many as 10,000. After the rest of the world turned its back on Yangoon, Beijing agreed to lend military support to the government in its ongoing fight with internal enemies in exchange for exacting diplomatic concessions.
Since 1989, China has been Myanmar's biggest supplier of military aid, providing the country with armored vehicles, naval vessels, jet fighters and bombs - including, in all likelihood, those that fell on PRC soil.
[Images via Wikimedia, The Economist]
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