Burma's ongoing civil wars and factional fighting are once again likely to become Beijing's problem.

Several reports say that 2,000 refugees from Burma's Kachin state have crossed China's borders with Burma this week, as fighting has intensified in a border region where China is building a series of controversial hydropower plants. The dams have ignited local tensions and and become a flash point for fighting. Reports say around 100 Chinese workers have fled the main dam building area and several have been allowed to return home.

In 2009, tens of thousands of Burmese flooded across China's borders to avoid a dangerous outbreak of fighting. Tensions calmed, but the situation now appears again uncertain.