Synopses & Reviews
In the quarter century after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Beijing assisted Vietnam in its struggle against two formidable foes, France and the United States. Indeed, the rise and fall of this alliance is one of the most crucial developments in the history of the Cold War in Asia. Drawing on newly released Chinese archival sources, memoirs and diaries, and documentary collections, Qiang Zhai offers the first comprehensive exploration of Beijing's Indochina policy and the historical, domestic, and international contexts within which it developed.
In examining China's conduct toward Vietnam, Zhai provides important insights into Mao Zedong's foreign policy and the ideological and geopolitical motives behind it. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he shows, Mao considered the United States the primary threat to the security of the recent Communist victory in China and therefore saw support for Ho Chi Minh as a good way to weaken American influence in Southeast Asia. In the late 1960s and 1970s, however, when Mao perceived a greater threat from the Soviet Union, he began to adjust his policies and encourage the North Vietnamese to accept a peace agreement with the United States.
Review
As groundbreaking as it is clear.
Intelligence and National Security
Review
The key role of Mao's China in arming and guiding the thirty-year struggle has only now been clarified by . . . Zhai.
London Review of Books
Review
An engaging account of the thoughts and actions of the decision makers on both sides of the Sino-Vietnamese connection.
American Journal of Chinese Studies
Review
A must for those working within the field of Cold War history.
Journal of Peace Research
Review
Fair-minded, clearly written, and deeply researched, Zhai's study supersedes all previous works on the subject .
Journal of Military History
Synopsis
Drawing on newly released Chinese sources, Qiang Zhai traces the rise and fall of the Sino-Vietnamese alliance in the quarter century after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
Table of Contents
ContentsForeword
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1. Recognition and Assistance, 1950-1953
Chapter 2. From Dien Bien Phu to Geneva, 1953-1954
Chapter 3. Consolidation and Unification, 1954-1961
Chapter 4. The Geneva Conference on Laos, 1961-1962
Chapter 5. Deeper Entanglement, 1961-1964
Chapter 6. Confronting U.S. Escalation, 1964-1965
Chapter 7. Vietnam Peace Talks, 1965-1968
Chapter 8. From Tet to Cambodia, 1968-1970
Chapter 9. Sino-U.S. Rapprochement and Vietnam, 1970-1975
Conclusion: The Duality of China's Policy
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Maps
Indochina
North Vietnam in 1950
Illustrations
Luo Guibo
Luo Guibo poses with Vietnamese Communist leaders
Luo Guibo and his wife, Li Hanzhen, with Ho Chi Minh and other Vietnamese Communist officials
Vo Nguyen Giap greets Luo Guibo
Luo Guibo inspects a Vietnamese factory
Luo Guibo poses with Vietnamese factory workers
Luo Guibo and other Chinese advisers in Vietnam
Prince Norodom Sihanouk accompanies Premier Zhou Enlai during his visit to Cambodia
Mao and Ho Chi Minh at Beijing airport
Mao hosts a banquet in honor of Ho Chi Minh during Ho's visit to China
Zhou Enlai and Ho Chi Minh at Beijing airport
The Chinese delegation at the Geneva Conference on Laos
Chen Yi meets with Prime Minister Souvanna Phouma and Prince Souphanouvong
Mao meets with Nguyen Thi Binh
Mao greets Le Duan
Zhou Enlai greets Sihanouk at Beijing airport
Table
Table 1. China's Military Aid to the DRV, 1964-1975