"Burma is experiencing its most dramatic moment of political change in more than half a century. In November, the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections that were the freest and fairest in decades. A new government led by Nobel laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is about to take office. This will represent a remarkable departure from sixty years of authoritarian rule, even though the transition is taking place under a constitution that reserves key powers for Burma?s armed forces, which have ruled the country for decades. The coming months and years will be a critical time for Burma?s still-tentative democratic opening. Over the past several years, the international media has, quite understandably, focused on Burma?s remarkable liberalization and its opening to the West. By contrast, the country?s relationship with China has received relatively little attention. This is unfortunate. The rise of China is reshaping the world, and nowhere else will its impact be felt more strongly than in neighboring Burma. The incoming government will have two key priorities: developing Burma?s economy and ending its seven-decade-long civil war. Achieving these goals is essential to securing a sustainable democratic transition — and China has a big role to play on both fronts. Despite Burma?s opening to the West, China is still far and away its most important trading partner, and its outsized influence in the territories along Burma?s northern periphery makes it a crucial player in any peace process..."