"The visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Myanmar on January 17-18 marks the return of China to a position of dominance in a country which has traditionally been wary of its powerful northern neighbour. From 1990 to 2010, China had taken full advantage of the international isolation of Myanmar and its interethnic conflicts to emerge as the most important influence in the country. Since overturning the results of the elections which were won by the National League for Democracy (NLD) and its charismatic leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the military junta which captured power, which it is still loathe to give up, had used China as its political shield. China, which had kept governments in Yangon off-balance by providing weapons and sanctuaries to ethnic groups inhabiting the border regions, provided relief by promoting ceasefire or arms for peace agreements with the military junta, in exchange for local autonomy. For a now fast-growing China in need of resources, raw material and markets, political influence translated quickly into preferential trade access and opportunities for the exploitation of Myanmar’s virtually untapped resources. These included minerals, timber and agricultural products. China was also the main supplier of weapons to the military. Chinese penetration into Myanmar was secured through the building of major highways linking southern China with Myanmar. Border trade was promoted through several border trade points. In ethnic areas adjacent to China, regional autonomy was leveraged to establish close trade and economic relations over which the central government had tenuous control. Chinese investment in these ethnic areas led to their being more integrated with southern China than with the rest of Myanmar..."