"The Kokang region traces its roots to the anti-Chinese riots that broke out in June 1967 under General Ne Win. A series of attacks on Chinese people took place in Yangon and other towns. During the riots, the Chinese embassy was also attacked. A lot of Myanmar-born Chinese fled in the aftermath of the riots, which incensed the Communist Party of China and its leaders. Some armed groups that took refuge in China, including those of Kachin leader Naw Saing and Kokang leader Pheung Kya-shin, took part in a massive Burma Communist Party (BCP) push into Shan State on January 1, 1968. The BCP force also included a lot of Chinese volunteers. Some of these volunteers would go on to hold senior positions in the BCP. Chinese advisers and BCP leaders chose to launch the offensive into Myanmar from the Kokang region. On January 1, a combined force of BCP, Chinese and Naw Saing?s troops captured the camp of the Tatmadaw?s No 45 Infantry Regiment at Mone Koe in Kokang region. Two days later, Chinese troops, together with Pheung Kya-shin forces and BCP soldiers, occupied Lone Htan, another Tatmadaw military position in Kokang. The Kokang region became the first Myanmar territory to succumb to BCP forces with the help of Chinese soldiers. The BCP army consisted of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and a ?liberated region” appeared later in northeast Myanmar. This region included what were known as the Kokang, Wa, Mong La and Kachin War Zone 101 areas. General Ne Win was so concerned by the Chinese occupation of northeast of Myanmar that he took steps to rebuild relations with China."