United States of America vs. China

1953 - 1979

Core issue: Ideological dispute during the Cold War
between Communist China and the United States

Type of conflict ending: Peaceful thawing

The rivalry between the United States and the newly-created People's Republic of China (PRC) erupted into open conflict during the Korean War which lasted from 1950 to 1953. While China was initially hesitant to become involved in the conflict, considerations such as national security, pressure from the Soviet Union to intervene, North Korean requests for assistance, and the opportunity to contribute to the cause of a worldwide revolution influenced its decision to enter the war on North Korea's behalf. The Armistice Agreement was signed in 1953, however relations between the United States and China remained troubled until the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1979. The core issue between the two nations was an ideological dispute about the spread of communism.

Relations remained frozen after the end of the Korean War, and the United States continued with a policy of containment toward China. One reason for this policy was due to domestic pressure and widespread anti-communist sentiment throughout the United States. Furthermore, Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist party had many supporters in the US government, thus further boosting support for Taiwan. Mao's China viewed the United States as an imperialist enemy which was seeking to meddle in its internal affairs. Events such as the Taiwan Strait Crises, the uprising in Tibet, China's first atomic test, and its role during the Vietnam War contributed to the strain in the relations between the US and China throughout this period.

The First Taiwan Straits Crisis in 1954 nearly brought the United States and the People's Liberation Army back into conflict. The US, fearing ongoing Chinese incursions in Taiwan, signed a mutual defense pact with Nationalist Chinese which forced the PRC to cease with its ambitions to control the island. Further clashes between the United States and China during the Cold War occurred more covertly or diplomatically. The uprising in Tibet, for example, was supported by the CIA, and was perceived as a direct threat to its sovereignty by China. This indirect conflict kept suspicion high between the two governments, and almost came to direct conflict again during the Vietnam War.

The justifications of both countries for their involvement in the Vietnam War were ideological ones. The United States was committed to halt the spread of communism globally. Communist China supplied the North with military equipment and ideological and diplomatic support based on the common international communist struggle. The Chinese support for the North was also geostrategic as wanted to preclude US allies along its borders. However, neither China nor the United States escalated to direct conflict and the conflict remained confined to Vietnam.

While no formal negotiations took place between the US and China, numerous talks at the ambassadorial level were held from 1955 to 1970. During this period, 136 of talks took place, although most of them were kept secret from the public. Third-party countries served as location to avoid political obstruction and helped to mitigate tensions between the two governments.

At the start of the 1970s, both countries acknowledged potential benefits of rapprochement, in particular in the wake of the Sino-Soviet split. The famous Ping Pong diplomacy of 1971, when American table tennis players visited China, resulted in increased public acceptance of rapprochement. Throughout the 1960s, several resolutions were passed in the UN General Assembly that labeled the nature of China's representation at the UN an "important question" that was to be decided by a two-thirds majority. In 1971, the People's Republic of China replaced the Republic of China in the United Nations, as a member of the Security Council. US President Richard Nixon's historic 1972 visit to China marked a turning point in relations. The Shanghai Communique was signed, and while it did not address all issues, it did acknowledge the One China policy (the recognition of Beijing, not Taipei, as representing China). Formal relations were established with the 1979 Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations.

Hence, the conflict between the two states was resolved through peaceful thawing.

Sources

Garthoff, R.L., 1963. "Sino-Soviet Military Relations", The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. No. 349 (1), 81-93.

Goh, E., 2005. Constructing the U.S. rapprochement with China, 1961-1974: from "red menace" to "tacit ally". Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Huisken, R., 2010. Introducing China. The World's Oldest Great Power Charts its Next Comeback. 1st ed. Canberra: ANU Press.

Jian, C., 2001. Mao's China and the Cold War. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Kim, S.S., 1982. "The Sino-American Collaboration and Cold War II", Journal of Peace Research, 19 (1), 11-20.

Steiner, H.A., 1953. "The United States and the Two Chinas", Far Eastern Survey, 22 (6), 57-61.