What this lesson teaches
I can judge how China's and Japan's relations with the USA and the USSR changed during the Cold War.
Syllabus 8838, Theme II, Learning Outcomes. evaluate the development of China's and Japan's relations with the superpowers during the Cold War
Make a guess
In March 1969 Chinese and Soviet troops fought on an island in the Ussuri River. What do you think this led China to do?
- Treat the USSR as its main threat and turn towards the USA.
- Rebuild its alliance with Moscow to avoid a wider war.
- Start a full-scale invasion of the Soviet Union in revenge.
Show the answer
Treat the USSR as its main threat and turn towards the USA.
Soviet hints of a strike on China's nuclear sites alarmed Beijing, which began looking for a counterweight.
Fighting on the Ussuri River in 1969 made China see the USSR as its main threat and opened the way to the USA.
In 1968 the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia alarmed China. The Brezhnev Doctrine claimed the right to intervene in socialist states. Beijing feared it could be next.
In March 1969, Chinese and Soviet troops clashed at Zhenbao Island (Damansky to the Soviets) on the Ussuri River. Dozens were killed. Further clashes followed along the border.
Soviet officials hinted at a strike on China's nuclear facilities. China prepared for war and evacuated leaders from Beijing.
The crisis changed China's strategy. Mao concluded that the USSR, not the USA, was the greater danger. Improving relations with the USA became a way to balance Soviet power.
- Czechoslovakia
- August 1968: Soviet-led invasion.
- Zhenbao Island
- March 1969 clash on the Ussuri River.
- Brezhnev Doctrine
- Claimed a Soviet right to intervene in socialist states.
Real examples to use
Zhenbao Island, 2 March 1969
A Chinese ambush killed 31 Soviet border guards. A larger battle followed on 15 March, with Soviet tanks and artillery.
Casualties admitted
The Soviets later gave their losses as 58 dead and the Chinese as 29 dead, showing how close the two communist giants came to war.
Airport talks, September 1969
Premier Kosygin met Zhou Enlai at Beijing airport. They agreed to separate their forces and negotiate, but China still saw the USSR as its main threat.
Worked example: Linking 1969 to rapprochement
Explain why the 1969 clash mattered for Sino-American relations.
- Threat: the clash and Soviet hints of a nuclear strike made the USSR China's main enemy.
- Strategy: China needed a counterweight to Soviet power.
- Opportunity: Nixon wanted leverage over Moscow and a way out of Vietnam.
- Result: secret contacts began, leading to Kissinger's visit in 1971.
Watch out for this
The 1969 clash was a full-scale war between China and the USSR.
It was a series of armed border clashes. Both sides prepared for war, but full-scale war did not follow.
Check your understanding
Why did the 1969 clash push China towards the USA?
- China had adopted capitalism and wanted American trade.
- The USA had promised to hand Taiwan over to China within ten years.
- China saw the USSR as its main threat and wanted a counterweight.
Show the answer
China saw the USSR as its main threat and wanted a counterweight.
Right. Security drove the change.