Interesting article in the Irrawaddy describing China's efforts to speed Burma's path to democracy.  Selected portions:

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China has called on Burma to speed up democratic reforms, state media reported Saturday, in an unusual move for Beijing which has traditionally refrained from criticizing the country's military junta.
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Yi also expressed support for United Nations-brokered attempts to reconcile the junta and the country's suppressed democracy movement led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the newspaper reported.

China, the junta's main political ally, does not usually publicly criticize the military government, reaffirming its position of strict noninterference in the internal affairs of the country.

But in recent weeks, it has been credited with working behind the scenes to pressure Burma to embrace democratic reforms.

China had provided important backing for the mission of Ibrahim Gambari, the UN secretary general's special envoy on Burma, by supporting a Security Council declaration and helping persuade Burma to allow him to visit twice since the military's crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in September.