The Conflict between Myanmar's military and ethnic minority rebels in the state of Kachin escalated this week and is threatening the safety of residents on the Chinese side of the Sino-Myanmar border in Yingjiang and Tengchong counties, Yunnan Province.

China's air force issued a statement on Saturday saying no Myanmar jets have entered Chinese territory and that the closest Myanmar jets were five kilometers away from the border. But during an air attack against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), three bombs landed in Yingjiang county, said the Chinese foreign ministry on Friday.

The conflict has been taking place around the KIA's headquarters of Laiza, close to the Chinese town of Nabang in Yingjiang county. Gong Jianrong, deputy director of the publicity department of Yingjiang county, told China National Radio that the bombs landed near a gas station and shattered the windows of a residential building. There were no casualties.

Gong said that Yingjiang's economy has been harmed due to the conflict. "Nabang port was about to be upgraded to the national level, but Myanmar's government blocked the channels because we border the state of Kachin. We have been losing millions."

"China has made representations to Myanmar, requiring them to take effective measures immediately to avoid similar incidents," said Hua Chunying, spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Friday.

Local residents in Nabang told the Global Times that they have witnessed fighter jets hovering in the sky for the past few days. Another resident in Tengchong county said that he knew about the recent conflict, but Tengchong town was safe.

Sun Konglong, head of the Dehong border stability maintenance office, which supervises Yingjiang county, said Saturday that social order in Nabang and Tengchong is stable and the residents are safe. "All border access routes are running well. Currently there is no large wave of refugees into our country and emergency plans are ready," he said.

A KIA source said the Myanmar military conducted heavy air strikes for a week until Thursday but ceased aerial attacks on Friday. The Myanmar government described its "air cover" as "self-defense" in order to protect life and property in a Friday statement and stated that it will continue to conduct peace negotiation with the KIA.

Zhu Zhenming, a researcher with the Institute of South East Asian Studies at the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times Saturday that other Sino-Myanmar border trading ports including Ruili, Xishuangbanna and Simao are running as usual, but ports along the northern Myanmar border are facing difficulties because of severed transportation links or military action.

Fighting between Kachin rebels and the Myanmar army erupted in June 2011 after a 17-year cease-fire as Kachin pushed for greater autonomy.