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

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.

MYANMAR’S military government and a major ethnic rebel group in the north-east have signed a formal ceasefire agreement, mediator China said today. The ceasefire between the military and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), which seized large tracts of territory along the Chinese border, came into force on Saturday.