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After three years of war, the French forces stagnated in Indochina. Unable to achieve victory militarily, they found themselves confronted with the arrival of Communist China on the northern borders. This led the government in Paris to grant independence to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia in order to rebalance the balance of power. The independence of these states brought many changes, including the provision of material aid that allowed the United States to move into Saigon. But the US diplomatic presence in Indochina led to a loss of French sovereignty over this area and caused Paris to gradually disengage from the conflict until the departure of French forces in 1956.