TOKYO -- China has sent observers to Myanmar to oversee a local truce it mediated, expanding Beijing's influence in the Southeast Asian country's prolonged internal conflict.
The ceasefire monitoring team's main task is to oversee a smooth handover of the urban areas of Lashio, the de facto capital of northern Shan state, from ethnic rebels back to the military regime as Beijing aims to keep its border with Myanmar peaceful and stable, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on April 22.
