China-Soviet 2: Soviet Experts Report to Gorbachev:  Our Most Short-sighted Behaviour & Big Diplomatic Failure was to Make China Enemy

Shen Zhiua, July 2021

Author is professor of history at Peking University in Beijing. He is the deputy head of its Modern History Research Center and Its Archives, affiliated with the Parallel History Project.

Summary

Sino-Soviet relations went from a honeymoon period to deterioration. The Soviet Union’s short-sighted decisions led to the breakdown of relations between the two countries. The Soviet Union lost China, an important ally, which accelerated its disintegration. On the other hand China learned from the lesson, embarked on a unique development path, and achieved rapid economic development.

The deterioration of Sino-Soviet relations can be said to be a huge mistake in the history of Soviet diplomacy

At that time, the Soviet Union fell out with its once most important ally, which made the Soviet Union increasingly isolated on the international stage, blocked mutual assistance agreement with China, and ultimately affected the Soviet Union’s own development.  It can be said that severing diplomatic ties with China was one of the most short-sighted decisions in Soviet foreign policy. In May 1989, as the situation changed, Gorbachev realized that Soviet Union had to improve relations with China. Gorbachev commissioned experts from the Stalin era to summarize the evolution of Sino-Soviet relations and its impact on the Soviet Union. The conclusion of this document points out that becoming hostile to China was the most short-sighted behavior of the Soviet Union, and Soviet experts admitted that it was the biggest diplomatic failure.

Sino-Soviet honeymoon period

As World War II came to an end, the international situation quickly shifted towards a bipolar confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. This global division had a profound impact on China. The United States’ strategic focus in Asia was to support counter-revolutionary Chiang Kai-shek’s regime in Taiwan, and this shift in external forces inevitably pushed the Chinese Communist Party to rely more on the Soviet Union. On December 25, 1947, Chairman Mao pointed out: The strength of the anti-imperialist camp in the world exceeds that of the imperialist camp. Our advantage lies in the anti-imperialist camp which is headed by the Soviet Union. In early 1949, with the visit of Soviet special envoy Mikoyan, Sino-Soviet relations quickly warmed up. After in-depth communication in Xibaipo city, Chairman Mao successively proposed the policies of “starting a new business” and “cleaning up the house before inviting guests”, further clarifying the position of alliance with the Soviet Union. In June of the same year, Liu Shaoqi’s visit to the Soviet Union and Liu Shaoqi’s article “On the People’s Democratic Dictatorship” published in the People’s Daily newspaper openly announced the “leaning to one side” diplomatic strategy. The Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance paved the way for subsequent economic and technical assistance, especially in the areas of company-corporate management and urban planning. The Soviet influence penetrated into China’s economic structure.

In October 1954, Khrushchev’s visit to China marked the official beginning of the “honeymoon period” in Sino-Soviet relations. During this period, the two countries’ cooperation in the political, economic, military and cultural fields became increasingly close. Politically, the two sides supported each other in international affairs; economically, they have signed numerous cooperation agreements, promoting the rapid growth of bilateral trade; militarily, they have exchanged military personnel and provided military equipment, strengthening security cooperation; culturally, there has been constant exchange in science and technology, education and art. Despite some frictions and discords along the way, Sino-Soviet relations generally maintained a tone of friendship and cooperation during this period, which provided important support for China’s industrialization and modernization, while also giving a strong backing for China in the Cold War landscape.

In early 1955, the international situation was quite critical for China. On January 28, a meeting between British Ambassador to Moscow Mr. Herter and Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov revealed the West’s concern about tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. Herter revealed that the New Zealand government will raise the issue of “China’s military operations in coastal island areas” at the UN Security Council and emphasized the British government’s concerns about tensions in the Taiwan region. Molotov responded that the Soviet government has always been committed to the stability of the Far East and other regions in need of peace and is willing to support all measures that contribute to this goal. Against this background, the Soviet Union not only provided important support to the People’s Republic of China, but also negotiated with the Chinese government to take a series of measures to resolve the Taiwan issue. This included a statement by the Soviet Foreign Ministry on December 16, 1954 strongly condemning the “Mutual Defense Treaty” signed between the United States and the Taiwan’s counter-revolutionary Chiang Kai-shek regime. Immediately afterwards, on January 30, 1955, the Soviet Union’s permanent representative to the United Nations submitted a letter to the President of the Security Council, requesting an emergency meeting to discuss the US’s aggressive actions against China’s Taiwan region, and attached a draft resolution.

The draft resolution made four recommendations:

1. Condemn the aggressive actions of the United States against the People’s Republic of China;

2. Recommend that the US government take measures to immediately stop its aggressive actions and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs;

3. Recommend that the U.S. government immediately withdraw its land, sea, and air forces from Taiwan and other Chinese territories;

4. Call for a mutual cessation of military action in the Taiwan region in order to allow all non-Chinese armed forces to withdraw from the region.

The Soviet Union also proposed that Britain, the Soviet Union and India should initiate an international conference to discuss how to adjust the situation in Taiwan and surrounding islands. The conference should invite China and the United States to participate, and may include countries such as Britain, France, India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ceylon. During this process, although Britain supported the US position and hoped that representatives of Chiang Kai-shek’s clique would attend the conference, the Soviet Union firmly opposed it. At the United Nations anniversary meeting in June 1955, Molotov’s speech and Soviet Prime Minister Bulganin’s statement at the Four-Power Summit clearly reflected the Soviet Union’s position on the Taiwan issue. At the same time, in order to reduce international tensions, the Chinese government also took a series of diplomatic measures to peacefully resolve the Taiwan issue in order to cooperate with the Soviet Union’s actions.

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