China vs. Vietnam

1979 - 1991

Core issue: Territory plays a dual role in the explanation of the conflict. Firstly, the Sino-Vietnamese border was contested by both sides resulting in tensions. Secondly, the invasion by China in 1979 was a punitive measure implemented to punish Vietnam for its invasion of Cambodia’s territory.

Type of conflict ending: Peaceful thawing

Despite a long common history, and shared socialist ideology, the relationship between China and Vietnam was tense. Despite Chinese support for the Vietcong during the Vietnam War, the unification of Vietnam in 1975 intensified security concerns of China, which were further influenced by the Sino-Soviet split and Vietnam's diplomatic overtures to the Soviet Union. The core issue, which divided both countries, was related to claims over disputed territory in the border region. Besides, China aimed to punish Vietnam for its invasion of Cambodia which was considered an ally of China.

Hence, Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia in 1978 to depose the Khmer Rouge regime ran counter to Chinese interests. The Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia was also perceived as a threat to China, because it made clear to China that the Vietnamese regime acted autonomously, and its foreign policy ran counter to Chinese interests in South-East Asia. Vietnam's military activities in Cambodia provided a pretext for a pre-emptive attack to secure claims in the border region. Moreover, aside from territorial disputes China was further pitted against the Vietnamese government due to what it perceived as oppression of the Chinese Hoa minority in Vietnam. The combination of the factors resulted in the start of the Sino-Vietnamese War (also referred to as the Third Indochina War or the Sino-Vietnamese Punitive War).

The war started on 17 February 1979, and only lasted a month. Even though Vietnam and the Soviet Union had signed a pact of friendship shortly before the war broke out, the Soviet Union merely condemned Beijing's actions, stopping short of military support. At the end of the war both countries claimed to be victorious and China stated that it would withdraw its forces because Vietnam had been punished enough. The war left several thousand people dead and Vietnam lost a small piece of territory along the Sino-Vietnamese border. Consequently, border clashes between China and Vietnam continued until 1988. This protracted conflict is referred to as the Sino-Vietnamese Conflicts.

Although both countries heavily militarized the region with hundreds of thousands of troops after the initial invasion of China, major battles did not occur. Sporadic skirmishes took place, however, and China issued threats of another invasion if Vietnam would not withdraw its forces from Cambodia. It was not until the actual withdrawal of Vietnamese troops from Cambodia and the dissolution of the Soviet Union that relations between the two would improve. By 1991, relations had developed sufficiently enough for the two countries to officially proclaim the normalization of Sino-Vietnamese relations. Following this, China returned several territories to Vietnam in 1992 including the territories taken by China in the initial Punitive War. Further, several reefs in the Spratly Islands changed hands in favor of China. This diplomatic development indicates that the conflict was ended through peaceful thawing.

Sources

Amer, R., 1993. "Sino-Vietnamese Relations and Southeast Asian Security", Contemporary Southeast Asia, 14 (4), 314-331.

Guan, A.C., 1998. "Vietnam-China Relations since the End of the Cold War", Asian Survey, 38 (12), 1122-1141.

Hung, N.M., 1979. "The Sino-Vietnamese conflict: Power play among Communist neighbors", Asian Survey, 19 (11), 1037-1052.

Pao-min, C., 1987. "The Sino-Vietnamese Conflict and Its Implications for ASEAN", Pacific Affairs, 60 (4), 629.

Pouvatchy, J.R., 1986. "Cambodian-Vietnamese Relations", Asian Survey, 26 (4), 440-451.