What does China really want from Myanmar?

Yun Sun is a senior fellow and director of the China program and co-director of the East Asia program of the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank.

Accelerating gains by Myanmar's resistance forces have seen key towns and military bases fall in recent weeks. But none is as significant as the takeover of Lashio, the de facto capital of northern Shan State, by the Kokang-based Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and allied forces. The fall of Lashio and the military's nearby northeast command center mark a turning point since the October launch of Operation 1027, a coordinated and effective resistance campaign that has dramatically changed the status quo in northern Myanmar.