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Originally posted by lord of the mark
ecthy
1. the sino-soviet split was brewing since 1957, well before 1969
2. Chinese support to NVN was not contradicted by the split. It was a way to gain prestige in the movement vs USSR, and to compete for support of NVN. think of Iran and KSA today and their relationship to Hamas.
3. As long as the US was present in Indochina, the US was perceived as a threat in Beijing, and this limited the Sino-soviet split from becoming complete.
The Chinese in 1972 still wanted the US out of VN, and were not sure the USSR would gain the loyalty of VN.
ecthy
1. the sino-soviet split was brewing since 1957, well before 1969
2. Chinese support to NVN was not contradicted by the split. It was a way to gain prestige in the movement vs USSR, and to compete for support of NVN. think of Iran and KSA today and their relationship to Hamas.
3. As long as the US was present in Indochina, the US was perceived as a threat in Beijing, and this limited the Sino-soviet split from becoming complete.
The Chinese in 1972 still wanted the US out of VN, and were not sure the USSR would gain the loyalty of VN.
1) the domino theory didn't hold any longer with the Commie block in East Asia damaged through the Sino-Soviet rift, thus basically stopping the monolithic expansion. Supporting China was now more helpful to contain the USSR than to wage wars at the periphery. The so-called rapprochement must have been just a mere first step.
2) because of 1), the loss of Vietnam wasn't all that bad. Expansion of communism was practically stopped, so they really couldn't care anymore. Political realism at its best.
Thus, the Sino-Soviet rift occured because China had way too much potential to be a USSR puppet in the long run. the emancipation of China from the USSR was the single most important geopolitical movement in East Asia in the cold war since it led to 1), that USSR containment didn't have to be fought at the periphery anymore but was< achieved through cooperation with China.
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