China says five injured by artillery shells from Myanmar

BEIJING (Reuters) - Shelling from neighbouring Myanmar on Thursday wounded five people in the southern Chinese province of Yunnan, state media reported on Friday, the latest incidence of cross-border fire that has strained ties between the neighbours. Shells landed in an area near the small city of Lincang, state media reported on Friday, citing the local propaganda bureau. Four houses and three vehicles were also damaged. One Chinese and four Burmese nationals were wounded, according to a report on the People's Daily website. Two of the five were seriously hurt. The city's government had made "solemn representations" to the Myanmar side, according to reports. China was infuriated in March when five people were killed by stray bombs falling into Yunnan during fighting between Myanmar's government forces and rebels. Fighting has intensified over the past several months. China has repeatedly demand that Myanmar take greater steps to prevent fighting from spilling over to its side of the border. Myanmar government soldiers have been battling rebels who were dug in as close as 500 meters from the Chinese border, Myanmar's Information Ministry said in April. Tens of thousands of people, many of them ethnic Chinese, have fled to China to escape the fighting in Myanmar's northeastern Kokang region. (Reporting By Megha Rajagopalan; Editing by Alex Richardson)