The Cold War period was characterized by significant tension in international relations due to the existence of the bipolar system, which forced less influential countries, develop a unique foreign political course in order to find the balance between the two superpowers. In most instances, countries failed to find the balance and commonly chose to follow one of the superpowers in order to either be protected or foster their economic development. Regardless of the fact that, initially, China was one of such states, over the course of the Cold War, its role was changing. Still, the main characteristic of China’s role in the Cold War was its dynamic development of the relations with the United States and the USSR.

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In general, the role of China in the Cold War can be divided into two interrelated stages that were characterized by the spectacular changes in the ideology and the country’s foreign policy. The choice of the ally was greatly affected by the perceived level of the external threat as well as the effort made to secure the regime or gain more power in the region or even the international arena (Goldstein 4; Kornberg and Faust 16). For China, it was crucial due to the fact that the country was poor and had to locate resources and opportunities for feeding millions of people living in the PRC. Therefore, becoming a strategic ally to one of the superpowers was seen as one of beneficial options for contributing to the improvement of both internal and external development of the state.

The country’s involvement in the Cold War can be perfectly described as a lean to one side policy. The beginning of the first stage of its strategic cooperation with superpowers dates back to 1949 and the creation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The ideology of the PRC was significantly impacted by communism promoted in the USSR. For this reason, China fell upon cooperation with the USSR. During this period, China can even be labeled as USSR’s little brother due to enjoying significant economic and military support of the Soviet Union. Leaning to the side of the USSR was helpful for establishing the grounds for the further improved development of the country.

For the Soviet Union, strategic alliance with China was a way to become influential in Eastern Asia due to the large population and vast areas of the PRC as well as its potentially powerful impact in the region. The essence of the Sino-Soviet relations can be characterized by both military and ideological union. In the military sector, the two countries reached an agreement that they would support and assist each other in the instance of the US military attack because the United States authorities perceived this alliance as a threat to the global peace (Yafeng). US feeling of threat was connected to the active involvement of the Chinese troops in the Korean War and Vietnam War, as China was fighting against the US. Also, according to the same agreement, the two countries would be allies in case of the potential attack of the Japanese military forces, as Japan was as well searching for the opportunities to become more influential in the Eastern Asian region (Cho 68).

Nevertheless, because the strategic alliance was based on ideology, and PRC had not followed a pure communist ideology, the differences in perceiving the course for the nation’s development that emerged between China and the Soviet Union during the late 1950s and early 1960s results in the deterioration of their relations. Because of it, the Chinese government once again faced the need for finding resources for feeding its large population. More than that, the 1962 Cuban Crisis and 1969 tensions and the PRC-USSR borders proved that the USSR might be dangerous not only to the United States but also the PRC, so the Chinese government was forced to lean to another side – create a strategic alliance with the United States.

However, this development dates back to the 1970s. By this time, thousands of the Chinese people died because of poverty and starvations, so the only option for China was to forget about its military potential and aspirations and think about driving economic prosperity, which was impossible without the external support. Still, the ground of this cooperation was to balance relations in the global arena. However, during this period, the stress was laid on shifting to diplomatic instruments for addressing conflicts and maintaining peace. That being said, the period of the Sino-American cooperation can be characterized by triangular diplomacy and the peaceful rise (Goldstein 7).

All in all, the role of China in the Cold War can be characterized by using the so-called lean to one side approach to foreign policy. Over the course of the conflict, the involvement of the PRC was dynamic due to the rapid transition from being an ally with either the United States or the Soviet Union to turning into their counterpart. However, it can be explained by the fact that, like any other player in the international arena, the Chinese government was interested in improving its positions in the global system and minimizing any threats deriving from the outside. Eventually turning into the buffer territory, China could not remain neutral, so it was forced to choose which side should be supported and serve as a tool for finding the balance between the superpowers. Another point of dynamism is the shift from military-based incentives and cooperation to diplomatic relations and the search for opportunities to foster economic development instead of armed conflicts. All in all, the role of China in the Cold War came down to being the major country between the two superpowers that affected the course of the Cold War by cooperating with both.

Works Cited
Cho, Il Hyun. Global Rogues and Regional Orders: The Multidimensional Challenge of North Korea and Iran. Oxford University Press, 2016.
Goldstein, Anery. “A Rising China’s Growing Presence: The Challenges of Global Engagement.” Brookings, 2016, www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/chapter-one_-chinas-global-engagement-9780815729693.pdf. Accessed 23 Feb. 2018.
Kornberg, Judith F., and John R. Faust. China in World Politics: Policies, Processes, Prospects. Lynne Rienner, 2005.
Yafeng, Xia. “The Cold War and Chinese Foreign Policy.” E-International Relations, 18 Jul. 2008, hwww.e-ir.info/2008/07/14/can-the-world-position-itself-for-the-next-president-before-the-actual-election/. Accessed 23 Feb. 2018.