Crossword Genius

Headed off to cross Burma, China and its northeast (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

manchuria

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'northeast' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both locations as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps you can see an association between them that I can't see?

'headed off to cross burma china and its' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'china' could be 'ch' and 'ch' is present in the answer.
'and' could be 'n' (common abbreviation for 'and') and 'n' is located in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for manchuria that I've seen before include "Region forming NE portion of China" , "far eastern region" , "Region of northeastern China" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.