By Larissa Liao, Kevin Krolicki and Poppy McPherson BEIJING/BANGKOK (Reuters) -The abduction and cross-border rescue had all the makings of the kind of action script struggling Chinese actor Wang Xing had hoped to land – only not as a reality star.

China says it has brokered a ceasefire between Myanmar’s military government and a major ethnic rebel group in the country’s northeast.

The abduction of a young Chinese actor, who was trafficked from Thailand to Myanmar, prompted an unusually powerful public-pressure campaign and official actions.

The Myanmar military and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) signed a formal agreement for a ceasefire that began on Saturday, China's foreign ministry said, halting fighting near the border of both countries.

Following his ordeal, China’s embassies in Thailand and Myanmar have warned their citizens to beware of recruitment scams, while the state-run China Daily published an opinion piece warning that lawlessness “could undermine the confidence of Chinese tourists in neighboring countries.

Officials from China, Myanmar, Thailand reached a consensus on eradicating telecommunication fraud centers in Myanmar during a meeting on Tuesday, said China's national broadcaster.

The peace deal comes into effect on the weekend but experts aren't convinced it will lead to hostilities easing across the war-torn country.

In a rare call, the junta asked other nations to “participate in combating online scams and online gambling”. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Myanmar’s ruling junta has called on neighbouring countries to help combat the issue, which analysts say is worth billions of dollars.

Both the great powers want access to Rakhine State’s Indian coastline and their ambitions have not ended because of advances by the Arakan Army.

Southeast Asian foreign ministers are gathering for their first meeting this year under the regional bloc’s new chair, Malaysia, seeking a breakthrough over Myanmar’s drawn-out civil war and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Scammers under leading telecom fraud syndicates in north Myanmar are handed over to Chinese custody, on January 30, 2024. Photo: VCG. A senior officials' meeting on Lancang-Mekong