“China is keen to see authorities with the central Myanmar government work toward a ceasefire with Kachin rebels,” visiting diplomat Yang Jiechi said on Monday.

At a meeting with Myanmar President Thein Sein in Naypyitaw, Chinese State Councillor Jiechi called for an end to the Kachin crisis by advancing peace talks to ensure stability, allowing for further Chinese investment.

“The government and the Kachin side could maintain the trend of peace talks and reach a ceasefire agreement as early as possible to realize eternal peace and stability in the north and China- Myanmar border areas,” he stressed.

China’s official news agency Xinhua reported Yang saying that the Chinese government would work with Myanmar to help broker a long-term peace with the Kachin Independence Organization.

Writing in Asia Times on Tuesday, veteran journalist Bertil Lintner said, “China's position is clear: it is losing its previously dominant role in Myanmar to the West, and it wants to maintain leverage inside the country.

“China is showing that it can impact the situation inside the country in a way that the United States and European Union cannot. And China's role in this development is much more important than [the] awkward and often misguided efforts by a host of Western interlocutors who have become involved in the efforts to establish peace in Myanmar.”

During the meeting Thein Sein reportedly stated his interest in the countries’ relationship as “friendly neighbors and good friends.”

He expressed Myanmar's welcome of investment from China, promising to create a good investment environment and ensure the smooth launching of the two countries' cooperation projects, Xinhua reported.